The Weeknd Extends Record for Most No. 1s on R&B Songs & Albums Charts
New album 'Dawn FM' and its single "Sacrifice" debut at No. 1 on their respective R&B charts.
The Weeknd banks his ninth No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart as “Sacrifice” debuts in the top slot of the chart dated Jan. 22. The track comes from his new album, Dawn FM, which concurrently opens at the summit of the Top R&B Albums chart — his seventh No. 1 on that tally. With the new champs, he extends his record for the most No. 1s on both charts.
“Sacrifice” begins with 19.9 million U.S. streams in the week ending Jan. 13, according to MRC Data. That figure prompts a No. 1 entrance on R&B Streaming Songs, where The Weeknd achieves his 10th No. 1.
The new single also starts at No. 3 on R&B Digital Song Sales through 3,500 downloads in the same period. In the radio realm, though “Sacrifice” does not register on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart, it does generate enough activity to debut at No. 31 on Rhythmic Airplay and leap 36-26 in its second frame on the Pop Airplay list.
With the new champ, The Weeknd extends his record for the most No. 1s on Hot R&B Songs since the chart began in 2012. He pads his lead over Drake, in second place with seven leaders. Here’s a recap of The Weeknd’s chart-toppers:
- “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey),” 14 weeks at No. 1, beginning April 11, 2015
- “Can’t Feel My Face,” 11 weeks, July 18, 2015
- “The Hills,” 14 weeks, Oct. 3, 2015
- “Starboy,” featuring Daft Punk, 20 weeks, Oct. 15, 2016
- “Call Out My Name,” one, April 14, 2018
- “Heartless,” one, Dec. 14, 2019
- “Blinding Lights,” 48, March 7, 2020
- “You Right,” with Doja Cat, one, Sept. 4, 2021
- “Sacrifice,” one (to date), Jan. 13, 2022
Elsewhere, “Sacrifice” debuts at No. 3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and at No. 11 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.
“Sacrifice” leads seven songs from The Weeknd’s Dawn FM album onto Hot R&B Songs. In addition to the new titleholder, the superstar occupies the following ranks:
No. 4, “Is There Someone Else?”
No. 5, “Out of Time”
No. 7, “Here We Go…Again,” featuring Tyler, the Creator
No. 8, “Best Friends”
No. 9, “I Heard You’re Married,” featuring Lil Wayne
No. 13, “Don’t Break My Heart”
Notably, “Is There Someone Else?” also arrives at No. 10 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Thanks to that tune and “Sacrifice,” The Weeknd climbs to a milestone 20 top 10 hits on the list.
Parent album Dawn FM, meanwhile, begins at No. 1 on Top R&B Albums with 148,000 equivalent album units earned in the week ending Jan. 13. (All of its units come from streaming activity and digital album sales — as the album has yet to be released on physical formats.) The entrance gives The Weeknd a seventh No. 1 on the list, from nine career entries. He extends his record for the most No. 1s in the chart’s nine-year history. Jhene Aiko is next in line, with five leaders. Before Dawn’s day, he led with these projects:
- Kiss Land, two weeks at No. 1, beginning Sept. 28, 2013
- Beauty Behind the Madness, 14 weeks, Sept. 19, 2015
- Starboy, three, Dec. 17, 2016
- My Dear Melancholy (EP), five, April 14, 2018
- After Hours, 40, April 4, 2020
- The Highlights, six, Feb. 20, 2021
Beyond its R&B coronation, Dawn FM launches at No. 2 on both the all-genre Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts.
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