It has been four years since The Weeknd — whose real name is Abel Tesfaye — released a new studio album. The “Can’t Feel My Face” singer’s latest album, After Hours , was released worldwide on March 20 and is having a huge impact on listeners.
On Twitter, the hashtag “AfterHours” is currently trending. Fans have taken to the platform to share their thoughts on the LP under the tag and it seems to immediately be their favorite release this year.
“Album of the year. This was an INCREDIBLE 56 minute 14 track project. #AfterHours,” one user wrote.
“Gosh, #AfterHours is absolutely incredible! Good music in times of crisis. Thankful,” another shared.
“I’m on my third listen and f*ck, the vocals, the f*cking layers to this album are incredible and anyone who thinks otherwise hasn’t listened in-depth enough. Thank you for this masterpiece Abel, thank you for helping us feel emotions that are otherwise silent. #AfterHours #AOTY,” remarked a third listener.
“I love albums that sound like albums and not random tracks thrown together this has a SOUND. very specific and stayed on-brand with that the whole way. Incredible. #AfterHours,” a fourth account wrote.
So far, The Weeknd has released three singles — “Heartless,” “Blinding Lights,” and “After Hours” — from the album that have already proved to be instant commercial successes.
According to Billboard , “Heartless” became his fourth No. 1 single on the U.S. Billboard 200. “Blinding Lights” has peaked at No. 4 while topping the charts on the U.K. singles chart. The latest release, “After Hours,” entered the Top 20.
Ahead of the album release, The Weeknd debuted a new song, “Scared To Live” on Saturday Night Live at the beginning of March. The performance can be watched on his official YouTube channel, which has already gathered over 1.8 million views.
After Hours is The Weeknd’s first album since 2016’s Starboy , which became his second chart-topping album on the U.S. Billboard 100. In 2018, he dropped an EP, My Dear Melancholy , which also topped the same chart.
In a matter of hours, After Hours has topped the U.S. iTunes album chart.
The Weeknd’s new album #AfterHours is the #1 album on US iTunes.
Congratulations, @TheWeeknd !? pic.twitter.com/VnQAt33NZK
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 20, 2020
Ahead of the new album campaign, The Weeknd debuted a new look that shocked fans. As previously reported by The Inquisitr , he posed on the red carpet at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and was slightly unrecognizable to his fans. The “In The Night” hitmaker was compared to Lionel Richie, Bruno Mars, Lenny Kravitz, and Nacho Libre among users on social media.