The Weeknd just keeps breaking records. The superstar’s song “Blinding Lights” is not just critical success, but Billboard’s #1 Hot 100 song of all time. The track has already spent 90 weeks on the chart, qualifying itself to be top song. In their announcement, Billboard explained how this title is determined: “A designation that factors in total weeks on the chart as well as exact chart positions, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least.”
The pop anthem has flavors of the 80s, with heavy synth work and trap beats. In a recent interview, The Weeknd spoke about this in his interview with Billboard to celebrate his achievement: “I’ve always been tinkering with the [sounds of the] ’80s. It was much more subtle before, but I’ve always wanted to completely dive into it. And 10 years in, I think I’ve earned it.”
Born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye to Ethiopian-Canadian parents, The Weeknd dropped out of high school and pursued a music career in Toronto. He partnered with producer Jeremy Rose and created a couple tracks, uploading them to YouTube in December 2010. This caught the attention of Drake, and subsequent coverage by Pitchfork and the New York Times.
The Weeknd rose to more acclaim when he released his mixtape Trilogy at the end of 2012, debuting at #4 on the Billboard American charts. “Can’t Feel My Face” came a couple years later, sealing the singer’s fate as a global superstar.
These days, The Weeknd is working on an HBO project titled The Idol. His recent tweet regarding the Billboard achievement is a perfect look-back on a phenomenal career.
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