Unless by some crazy illusion, or you simply are living like a potato and are sleeping in the ground, then you know that Abél Makkonen Tesfaye, also known as The Weeknd, dropped his newest album, titled “Starboy,” on Thanksgiving day. Within 24 hours, the R&B singer’s fourth debut album was the No. 1 album in over 80 countries. It went on to become No. 1 in the world soon after. The album hasn’t even been out a week.
The Weeknd has captivated the music world with his sexual instrumentals and his ability to smoothly alternate between high and low pitches. With his new album out and a world tour on the way, raking in millions in the process, The Weeknd absolutely owns the R&B game.
There are three solid reasons why the 26-year-old Canada native is the best in the game right now. The first is his popularity. Outside of fangirls tweeting his lyrics and putting it in their bio next to their zodiac sign, the Weeknd has over 15.5 million followers across his social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc.), making him one of the most followed R&B singers to date. His last tour, “Beauty Behind the Madness,” absolutely crushed ticket sales and sold out in about a month. No other R&B artist has sold out a tour in that time in the past decade. How the hell does he even do that? His popularity is what drives it all, and of course, his sound.
The Weeknd’s ability to make girls want to put their drinks in the air and “woo” at their friends from across the bar is the second factor. Imagine this: It is a typical Wing Wednesday and you’re standing at the bar drink in hand when you see a lovely group of girls dancing to the music. All of a sudden “Starboy,” which was the first song released off the album, blares through the speakers and the girls go wide eyed and say “oh shit,” in pure excitement (This happens, you know this does). The Weeknd’s ability not only to turn up a party, but give you something to listen to when you might be getting lucky, is almost unheard of. His soothing voice interchanging pitch between low and high is truly what gives him his popularity, as it is his trademark sound. Today, no one can really do it the same way he can. It’s why he’s taking over the game, from his voice to his income.
According to Forbes, when The Weeknd dropped his sophomore album, “Beauty Behind the Madness,” hit songs “The Hills” and “Can’t Feel My Face” placed him in the Top 10 of the Billboard Top 100 for a record-setting 42 weeks. Those statistics listed his net worth around $55 million, not counting radio royalties, features in other songs, advertisements or sponsorships. That is from last year’s performance of “Beauty Behind the Madness” alone. He is swimming in money at this point. Now add all the advertisements, all the royalties, all the sponsorships and all the promotions and the tour funds The Weeknd will make from Starboy. Scary math, isn’t it? Whether you know how to calculate that off the top of your head or not you can come to the conclusion, that’s a lot of money.
The Weeknd himself is worth $50 million. That’s extremely impressive for someone who started to gain presence a little over a year and a half ago. But this seems like it is just the beginning for superstar. Expect more from The Weeknd, as he is expected to soon collab with stars such as Gallant, Logic and even Marshmello in the upcoming year. There is no doubt that he has completely captivated the world with his sound, and will continue to run the R&B game for years to come.