The Weeknd‘s ‘After Hours’ era is nothing short of spectacular, serving as one of the most successful albums and accompanying campaigns of the last decade.
Even before the Super Bowl and award show blitz in its support, ‘After Hours’ had already clocked one of the biggest first-week sales of 2020 and spawned two #1 hits – ‘Heartless’ and ‘Blinding Lights’ (the latter sits in Billboard Hot 100 history books as the longest-running single by a solo artist). By mid-2021, it collected a third with ‘Save Your Tears.’
As if those accomplishments (and the many that followed) aren’t enough to boast, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) have updated certification stats attached to the era to give the star (born Abel Tesfaye) even more to brag about.
Taking to press Thursday (June 17), the RIAA announced Tesfaye’s megahit – ‘Blinding Lights’ – now shines at 8x Platinum, meaning it’s sold the equivalent of 8 million copies in the United States alone.
Becoming the fourth single of his career to be certified at that level or higher, it enters a three-way tie for his second personal best (matching the 8x Platinum status of 2016’s ‘Starboy’ and 2015’s ‘Can’t Feel My Face’). Only his 2015 single ‘The Hills’ – at 11x Platinum – has sold more in the same territory.
‘After Hours’ latest history-making single, ‘Save Your Tears,’ also received a certification upgrade and now sits at 3x Platinum in the United States.