The Weeknd’s fifth studio album Dawn FM is finally here, and fans have been tuning in to the new sound Abel is pushing forth into 2022. The 16-track project arrived on January 7 and looks to have a big first week like its predecessor, After Hours, in 2020.
According to HITS Daily Double, The Weeknd is expected to move 150,000-170,000 copies in its first week. There were no lengthy rollouts or physical copies available for the album, which proved to be a daring yet lucrative move for the Toronto native.
The album pulled in over 60 million streams on Spotify in 24 hours, just like After Hours did on the platform in 2020, and Dawn FM has already hit the 100 million mark worldwide. Each song also entered Spotify’s US Top 20, with each having at least 1 million streams each.
Although the numbers are worth talking about, given no physical copies were available for purchase, The Weeknd doesn’t care about first-week sales. He went on Twitter the day before the album dropped to announce he wasn’t paying attention to what Dawn FM was going to do on the charts.
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“This doesn’t matter to me,” he proclaimed. “What matters is getting to experience the album together with the fans during these times.”
Dawn FM features legendary actor Jim Carey in addition to 2021 HipHopDX Rapper of the Year Tyler, the Creator, Lil Wayne, Quincy Jones, and Oneohtrix Point Never.
The Weeknd Assures Fan 'Dawn FM' Album Isn't A Sales Streaming Ploy
Some fans have voiced their opinion on Dawn FM saying the album was weird and The Weeknd hopped on Twitter Monday (January 10) to address all the commotion.
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“Weirdo. I love weirding you out. Even in the beginning… don’t forget it was always weird,” he tweeted. “Which side of XO history do you want be on? don’t get left behind, follow me into the light. i see everything … since the beginning. you’re obsessing over what you hated. enjoy where we are… look what was given to us.”
He continued, “I will never fall for the simple minded traps… ever. we go forward ALWAYS. it’s already tomorrow for us. i’m everywhere. i’m right beside you right now. look to your left…”
Stream the album below.
