Latest news with #BeautyBehindtheMadness
Ottawa Citizen
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Ottawa Citizen
Dunlevy: The Weeknd brings the suspense, the heat and the hits in first of two massive Montreal concerts
Article content And then, drum roll … with no shortage of dramatic buildup, he removed the mask. Parc Jean-Drapeau erupted. Tesfaye absorbed the moment, putting his palms together in a gesture of gratitude. Chants of 'olé olé olé!' rippled through the sea of people. Article content 'Thank you so much,' Tesfaye said. 'I missed the Québec accent.' Article content Article content 'Tabarnac que c'est bon!' blurted a guy behind me, after a wildly exuberant rendition of the funk-soul smash Can't Feel My Face, off 2015's Beauty Behind the Madness. 'It's incredible — and it might be his last show.' (Tesfaye has teased that he may kill off the Weeknd persona after this tour.) Article content The guy's name was Tom, 24 and originally from Moncton, N.B. He was having the time of his life, hanging out with a growing crew of new acquaintances. Article content Article content Among them was Tatiana Savage, 23. 'I came with a friend, but I'm leaving with 15 new friends,' she said. Article content Article content The hits kept coming. A rowdy rendition of the raunchy 2015 single Often and the anthemic ballad I Was Never There (punctuated with bursts of flames — like we needed more heat) were answered with spontaneous chants of 'The Weeknd! The Weeknd!' and more olés. Article content 'Wow!' Tesfaye said. 'Wow, wow, wow. Merci Montréal. Je t'aime vraiment.' Article content Article content To top it all off, there were fireworks — first as part of the show, and then as backdrop, courtesy of Montreal's summer-long international fireworks competition while Tesfaye performed on a satellite stage in the middle of the crowd. Article content 'It was a liberating experience,' said Australia native Goldie Hendley, 25, on the métro ride home. 'I've been listening to The Weeknd for years. But hearing him live and not only on my Bluetooth speaker was magical.' Article content Article content Article content Some fans — this critic's 17-year-old nephew included — were disappointed by the last-minute withdrawal of opening act Playboi Carti from the bill. In what feels like an unfortunate callback to a bygone era, the American rapper (who will rejoin the tour when it returns to the U.S.) didn't make it into Canada due to problems at the border. That also robbed The Weeknd of a dynamic interlude, as Carti had been joining him on stage mid-set to perform their recent collaborations Timeless and Rather Lie. Article content Hometown DJ-producer hero Kaytranada filled in admirably, hyping up the crowd with a throwdown of his intricate, eminently groovy club jams. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
Forbes
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Weeknd's Blockbuster Brings Him To A Milestone He's Never Seen Before
The Weeknd's Starboy hits 400 weeks on the Billboard 200 — a first for the Canadian musician on ... More Billboard's ranking of the biggest albums in the United States. WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA - MARCH 20: (EDITORS NOTE: Image was shot in black and white. Color version is available.) EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE Singer The Weeknd attends The Daily Front Row "Fashion Los Angeles Awards" 2016 at Sunset Tower Hotel on March 20, 2016 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo byfor The Daily Front Row) Starboy was a hugely important album for The Weeknd. The Canadian musician's third full-length release, which arrived a little more than a year after Beauty Behind the Madness, helped him quickly follow up on the massive global success of his breakout project. It showed he was not just a flash in the pan or the hottest new thing in music, but a certified hitmaker — someone who knew what the public wanted and was able to change things up without losing his massive audience. Nearly a decade after its release, Starboy still holds a special place in the Grammy winner's discography, and this week it reaches a notable milestone, one which the powerhouse talent has never seen before. Starboy Hits 400 Weeks on the Billboard 200 Starboy has now lived on the Billboard 200 for 400 weeks, as of this period. The full-length reaches that landmark figure this time around, as it dips two spots to No. 91. While Starboy may fall ever so slightly on the Billboard 200, consumption of the project is almost equal to last frame, as it shifted fewer than 100 additional equivalent units from the previous span. In the past tracking period, Luminate reports that The Weeknd's album moved 12,600 units in the U.S. Starboy Beats Beauty Behind the Madness and The Highlights Starboy has ranked as The Weeknd's longest-charting title on the Billboard 200 for some time. As it adds to its growing total each frame, it may remain in the lead indefinitely. Less than a year behind Starboy is Beauty Behind the Madness, which is now up to 352 frames somewhere on the tally of the most consumed albums in the U.S. Only The Highlights has also passed 200 appearances, as that compilation — which is no longer present on the roster — has racked up 211 stays throughout its lifetime. Americans are buying and streaming The Weeknd's individual projects in large enough numbers to keep them on the Billboard 200, instead of all activity being consolidated into the hits-packed set. Starboy Appears on Multiple Charts Most of The Weeknd's albums are sliding backward across the charts in America this week. Starboy, however, manages a small lift on the Top R&B Albums ranking, inching up one space to No. 8. It also holds steady at No. 21 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums tally.
Forbes
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Weeknd's Career-Making Album Returns To Multiple Billboard Charts
The Weeknd's grip on the Billboard charts remains as tight as ever, and he even expands his power. This frame, half a dozen of his albums are performing well across a number of rankings in America, and many of them appear on multiple lists at once. Among his current wins, one release stands out, as it's returned unexpectedly – and it's one that even casual pop fans will remember. Beauty Behind the Madness is once again a hit in America. The full-length that turned The Weeknd from an underground R&B talent into a proper pop superstar is mounting quite the comeback this week. It breaks onto three Billboard charts at once, returning to several tallies after some time away. The set appears inside the top 40 on just one of those rankings, as it reenters the Top R&B Albums chart at No. 13. It also returns to the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums list at No. 42 and sneaks back onto the Billboard 200 at No. 126. The Weeknd released Beauty Behind the Madness in summer of 2015, so it's nearing its tenth anniversary. The set produced the Hot 100 No. 1s 'The Hills' and 'Can't Feel My Face,' which still rank among the singer-songwriter's most successful tunes. Fellow singles 'Often,' 'In the Night' and 'Acquainted' also performed very well. This week, Beauty Behind the Madness is in good company. It's one of four albums by The Weeknd that show up on the Billboard 200, the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and the Top R&B Albums tally all at once. Alongside Beauty Behind the Madness, three other titles manage that same showing. Hurry Up Tomorrow, Starboy, and After Hours all sit on those same three rankings this week. Among the albums charting right now, Hurry Up Tomorrow is far and away The Weeknd's top performer. That's to be expected, since it was only released less than two months ago, and it's still riding the momentum of that launch. This frame, the new title appears on six different Billboard rankings. While it's beginning to decline on most of them, the exciting project remains a top 40 performer on all half-dozen tallies, holding on inside the top 10 on one-third of all those rosters.
