The Weeknd FLOPPED??

People have been coming up with many theories regarding why The Weeknd's DAWN FM Album sold less first week than Gunna's DS4EVER.
The Weeknd - DAWN FM! Full Album
open.spotify.com/album/2nLOHg...
Gunna - DS4EVER Full Album
open.spotify.com/album/4oxmme...
Did The Weeknd Flop?
No n*gga
Thank you for watching & have a great day!

[@maxhedman]

Dawn FM deserves all of its praise, but I see this as Weeknd's passion project. I think he did it for him rather than sales which is pretty cool imo

[@cobanjo]

I stopped reading after praise

[@Von803]

Lol yeah right

[@ezekielcartier]

🤦‍♂️

[@polarhero57]

@@Von803 wym yeah right. he literally did not care about sales lol. shits gonna hit #1 when the pure sales start counting

[@Von803]

@@polarhero57 Should've made myself clear. Dawn, to me, doesn't deserve "endless" praise. It was a letdown for me. The storytelling was nice but I wasn't feeling the frequencies of the album's sound. I hate synth 🤣 it's a one time listen.

[@zack7438]

The Weeknd is at a point in his career where his legacy is intact. He doesn’t really have anything to prove.

[@MMCLLC7]

Exactly

[@KiLLM4CE]

amen.

[@randydominguez666]

That man goated since Beauty behind the Madness

[@aqeelraja4750]

Facts

[@jaspersroom1934]

Abel took the L 😭

[@jaded6163]

This album isn't a 'flop'. It was the most streamed album globally of that week, almost surpassing after hours without a proper promo which shows his impact on the platforms and industry itself.

[@jhaialx2399]

Exactly Gunna only outsold him in the Us

[@goldmedal67]

It’s #1 globally and he has the most songs charting globally ever by a male artist

[@jortdraaisma2628]

In typical American fashion, they think the US is the world. It's the same thing when they say American football is the most popular sport in the world

[@earnestwilliams5272]

@@jortdraaisma2628 never seen or heard anyone say that

[@lowbudgetethiopian8300]

... and that's also without a hard copy. Regardless, even second is impressive in the US, but 1st globally is "epic"!

[@troyknell2429]

The Weeknd's album is still a masterpiece. Numbers will never affect that.

[@Von803]

It was ok 👌

[@kingcapital1131]

It's a good album not even close to a masterpiece, hell it ain't even his best album..

[@perplexed1783]

This Comment is very 🅿️

[@owl2671]

The Weeknd’s album is good, it doesn’t really have any replay value tho.

[@curledseeker6139]

@@owl2671 false

[@KenshinRell]

Dawn FM is an experience, After Hours had more single star power. Yes still number 1 globally which if you ask me is more important than being number 1 in the states. If this is a new trilogy you can compare it to Thursday, wasn’t that popular but was an amazing still even if wasn’t as popular as house of balloons. After hours also was marketed a lot! When that album dropped The Weeknd was everywhere, TV promoting the album, living the new character. Dawn Fm dropped like a mixtape if you ask me and I honestly wasn’t expecting an album from him so soon.

[@cris-uh9kg]

It seemed soon to me too but then realized After Hours came out almost two years ago

[@Prodbyjah464]

After hours is also an experience as well, people just think it’s just the big singles e.g Blinding lights, save your tears, heartless etc. but it’s so much more of you listen to the entire thing

[@KenshinRell]

@@Prodbyjah464 In terms of singles and promotions After Hours had way more the rollout of that album was crazy honestly and like I said The Weeknd was everywhere. Yeah Dawn Fm is another experience and honestly I prefer Dawn FM over After Hours but it wasn't marketed how After Hours was I mean Abel used that album to perform at the SuperBowl and its still hot right now. Abel has three albums running together: Afterhours, The Highlights, Dawn FM He didn't have to drop Dawn FM but like he said its part of a new trilogy.

[@Prodbyjah464]

@@KenshinRell yeah ik this but you implied that after hour is just singles and replay value and that it has no concept/experience to it which isn’t true. Listen to the entire album and parts of it can feel like a sequel to the original trilogy

[@KenshinRell]

@@cris-uh9kg I forgot also Abel dropped "The Highlights" just this last year also and was performing at the SuperBowl also to keep After Hours hot. Like I said globally Dawn Fm is the hottest album out and I feel like that's what he was aiming for not just in the states. If The Weeknd really wanted to go in with the promotion and marketing of Dawn FM he could've you know he has the resources to do so but he chose to drop it like a mixtape which I think is is cool. Whatever the next album is going to be "Afterlife" I expect a lot more promotion and marketing.

[@james-en8yn]

it’s so annoying how everyone’s comparing and putting two completely different albums against each other just based on the fact they came out the same day 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@vincetoms]

Right lmao. Horrible takes

[@h3llboyyy407]

Yeah fr , honestly it’s because of the weekend being seen as a mix of rap and pop himself despite him being mostly pop.

[@dez-m]

my man, why are you holding a geoduck like that 😭

[@solodolotrevino]

They’re not even in the same genre. That’s like if Kanye dropped an album the same day as Adele and people make it into a sales battle

[@NoName-pl7zm]

@@h3llboyyy407 nah he’s definitely not a rapper or even a mix. Pure R&B artist

[@tinktink360]

Pushing P really helped Gunna, seeing everyone say That ain’t 🅿️ and stuff like that is a huge boost to the numbers.

[@xel6895]

yeah fr, honestly the P memes are the only reason i checked out the song and then didnt listen to anything else off the album but im sure that was a gateway for a lot of new and younger fans seeing it everywhere on tiktok, ig, twitter, etc.

[@JayStrozier]

When Abel dropped ‘After Hours’ his roll out was extravagant and he released the album during the prime of quarantine. That’s why I believe it did so well imo. This time around, he did not have much of a rollout. Gunna had the virality of 🅿️, the private jet situation, and last but not least a huge TikTok

[@shuriwitwicky6646]

Yeah true because of the Dawn FM not having a rollout I didn't like the album when I first heard it because of After Hours and what he did there. Dawn FM on repeat for me now tho.

[@KenshinRell]

Exactly, he’s not tripping over this because if Abel really wanted to sale he most definitely could.

[@kose5699]

@Bobby Rhyman I haven’t seen one tiktok using a song from dawn fm

[@simonhersberger682]

I think in general sales were lower during quarantine and Gunna didn't really have a rollout either. But he certainly had some heat surrounding it after it dropped. Still very surprising to me that the Weeknd didn't sell way more,I think it's a great project.

[@TheChristian50]

Lmao weeknd had bundles wit AH. Thats not allowed no more

[@MDH2022]

The Weeknd could never flop anything soon. He's literally one of of, if not the most successful artist right now. The Weeknds talent alone would keep up a strong fan base. The songs from After Hours had songs that seemed more pop related.

[@michaelmentality]

Dawn FM sucks! Here's why: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fKWbqJyQrcicgLM

[@MDH2022]

@@michaelmentality that's still someone else's opinion. Someone's still gonna listen to his album no matter if you don't like it or not.

[@2stackjvo]

Dawn FM is an experience. it’ll be respected over time because some of the sounds on the album are really groundbreaking for what music is today. He went full experimental. This album rollout and response really reminds me of when kissland dropped. It didn’t sell as well commercially as trilogy did but it was a concept he ran with and for the fans to vibe with. His next album is gonna be CRAZY !!

[@jonijarvenpaa3604]

full experimental? I can't think of a single unique thing on it besides Jim Carrey narrating it and Lil Wayne on a 80s beat

[@TwoTwoFourSix]

Do people think music is limited to R&B and Hip Hop or something lmao, this is diluted electronic music, he’s taking from genres that are thriving in the underground scene. As much as he’s bringing into the masses, it’s not “groundbreaking”

[@simonbright2975]

He's driving the eighties vehicle into the ground. I wish he would move on already.

[@daababy4205]

k we get it bro... dawn fm was an experience. yall can stop repeating it

[@wewereonlyseven9325]

I’m honestly surprised people aren’t hyping this one up more… I personally couldn’t get into After hours.. think it was too many sounds going on for me.. felt like sensory overload 💀.. but I love how his look is going and how creative he’s been with this transition.. so I gave Dawn FM a shot… and I LOVED it.. and now I want to go and try to listen to his newer music… but I also like slow burning music🤷🏾‍♀️.. guess it’s hit or miss with some

[@Rino027]

Gunna outsold Weeknd by only 2,000 copies in the US. Weeknd out sold him in 145 other countries lmao 🤣

[@MrAdal206]

The Weeknd shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same breath as any artist of today especially any rapper. He’s our generations greatest artist.

[@victornjoroge389]

Man fuck no

[@PoobLeach]

The Weeknd’s album didn’t come with a social media trend leave him alone 😂

[@brusselseastside3546]

Gunna's album didn't come with 85 million monthly listeners

[@ipman127]

@@brusselseastside3546 FACTS Gunna caught a real W here

[@CausedByXO]

@@ipman127 Gunna is trash

[@ipman127]

@@CausedByXO cry

[@friendly5754]

@@CausedByXO cry some more

[@tinktink360]

The Weeknd seems like a man who doesn’t really care about sales and numbers as he really lets his music and style do the talking. Also even though After Hours had more hits I liked Dawn more.

[@HristinaNicole]

The Weeknd already is one of the biggest musicians in the world why would he care bout sales bro

[@kashenmoodley8293]

Nah fam xo very calculated

[@kashenmoodley8293]

@@HristinaNicole yea now but like 10 years ago

[@XXXRIPROACH]

If he doesn’t care why the theatrics?

[@mompvti2408]

@@XXXRIPROACH fym

[@NeroMai]

I'm really trying to understand how millions of listens on each Dawn Fm track is considered a flop. Why are people so obsessed with comparing numbers on completely differing genres and trends?

[@solodolotrevino]

Yeah this didn’t flop. And the Dawn FM era is just beginning. He’s got the huge tour coming. This album will have legs throughout the year

[@Ria-sd2ex]

Nice to see you here🙂

[@NeroMai]

@@Ria-sd2ex howdy! Nice to see you here too 😂

[@NeroMai]

@@solodolotrevino Exactly!

[@prettierjesus3119]

@@solodolotrevino Don’t forget that the cinematic part of it is still not fully released. We have to see what happens after the Gasoline video.

[@jamisonc7500]

The Weeknd’s doing what I’ve been wanting him to for years. Realizing the fame he’s at and finally secure in making experimental projects that touch the soul rather than the charts. I hope he continues to work with new sounds and sonics to create a soundscape like Dawn FM

[@akilsrikanth1647]

Agreed

[@ajtaylor8750]

It seems like Abel dropped this project more as something he just wanted to do creatively as opposed to getting album sales, so Gunna getting the #1 spot probably isn't that big of a deal to him. After Hours dropped in 2020 when the pandemic first hit and was one of the only albums around March of that year that was out so he was gonna make an impact regardless, so Dawn FM not selling 440K copies first week doesn't really mean much.

[@sabatadzingwe6210]

Besides being more influential to this generation... Some people were more excited for Gunna's album cause he been teasing it, compare to Abel's Dawn FM which was a surprise trilogy album and it had a short rollout but overall Abel won, cause he has a long lasting fanbase, Gunna's music is just for a vibe or when you wanna get work done, but Abel's music is more relatable and it speaks to people who understand Abel's craft/artistry

[@ravenk176]

Why tf weeknd fans always call that man Abel like that’s ya boy😭

[@Vaqueromexicano7]

@@ravenk176 bc he is our boy

[@CMXR]

@@ravenk176 cuz who tf even knows gunna real name

[@JayBee2Fya]

Call him the weeknd lmao

[@LJSPR]

@@CMXR Sergio giavanni kitchens

[@cxle177]

I love the Weeknds album it may not be for everyone nor is it trilogy weeknd but it’s still a work of art for me personally

[@mompvti2408]

Dawn FM is a "longevity" type of project, meaning that it's still gonna be talked about for a long time, something which is common for Abel's music. Gunna's music is just fast-food and when you rely on trends and tiktoks, your music quickly vanishes into oblivion. In 6 months DS4ever will be irrelevant

[@hawken796]

Man pushed 🅿️

[@Rahul-px3my]

Fr i still listen to after hours religiously lol

[@akilsrikanth1647]

Agreed

[@InYourWalls101]

I think this is one of those instances where stats and numbers tell nothing of the whole story. Dawn FM wasn’t as hyped as After Hours. Abel literally showed that he wanted to rush the album to release without roll outs or teasers. He just wanted his fans to hear his music. The album did not disappoint, but Gunna hasn’t released anything of significance for so long that more people are interested in seeing what dude has to put out. That being said, I think any rational person can say Dawn FM was levels ahead of Gunnas project. Idek what it was called

[@Someonesomewhere000]

Facts

[@simonhersberger682]

@Nebuu well apparently he doesn't get more streams on his project. Monthly listeners basically only show how mainstream an artist is. The Weeknd has tripple the amount of monthly listeners, but the listeners that Gunna has, actually stream his album more. Monthly listeners can give a very wrong impression of how many streams an artist gets.

[@chukwuemekaokereke2917]

I’m on The Weeknd’s side here, but this is literally not true. After Hours was released in March of 2020, while Wunna came out in May of 2020. Even the lead single to Gunna’s album is newer. “Too Easy” came out last September, while “Take My Breath” came out last August. An overlong wait was not the reason Gunna outsold.

[@sondersonics7534]

@@simonhersberger682 dawn fm has way more streams than ds4ever tho. At least on spotify

[@frmad9329]

Gunnas album was called drip season 4ever I think

[@battledroidbricks]

Can we just remember The Weeknd didn’t even do a rollout.

[@nonsweringboy101]

Okay but like he did. He released take my breath away

[@Von803]

That's his fault now Gunna outsold him the first week.

[@planet.astris]

@@Von803 it don’t even matter, the album still sold a shit ton

[@Von803]

@@planet.astris not the context of the video and comment but ok lol

[@Astrlfire]

ehhhh he did do the whole "the dawn is coming" shit at every award show performance but it can easily be debated on if that should count or not

[@3fnr732]

I wish music was just represented as art and not carried as political as it is. I haven’t seen DawnFM on my apple music browse page at all since it came out because of the promotions for DS4. We already know that the charts aren’t measured JUST by the amount of listeners which sucks because comparatively to Gunna, The Weeknd has more influence on an international level. The question isn’t why did The Weeknd flop but more of why wasn’t this album pushed like the other works that came out that friday.

[@TheOriginalPoon]

Abel himself literally said he didn't give a shit about promo or marketing ramp up, he wanted to drop the album in its entirety months ahead of schedule because he wanted people to heal with his music in the midst of yet another covid surge. Its why he didn't drop a single since last fall, Sacrifice was supposed to be dropped as the next single the week of the albums release, and everything just happened all at once. Contextually, it just seems like his label was taken completely off guard and just scrambled to salvage some sort of marketing campaign in order to maximize profits when Abel just wanted to just drop it for everyone to enjoy.

[@LoLo_1997]

Abel knew this was gonna be bigger than first week sales. He’s not worried about gunna or anybody lol. Just wanted to drop his art so his fans could experience and appreciate it. I feel like when this actually grows on ppl and they wake up, the project will get the praise it deserves. Just like when the Grammys snubbed him for after hours. In the end the true art always lives on

[@Waluigi-vr4qz]

This is my favorite album from him so far. If this flopped its beyond me. Some of the Best Music ive ever heard

[@Kircic]

from who

[@cobanjo]

Listen to Tory’s album or maybe house of balloons by the weeknd or trilogy

[@Waluigi-vr4qz]

@@Kircic the weeknd

[@Waluigi-vr4qz]

@@cobanjo i really like House of ballons. Torys album is good, but it really doesent compare in my opinion.

[@Kircic]

@@Waluigi-vr4qz yeah it’s good

[@ARIGHETTI]

Let's see 10 years from now, which album will be remembered by fans. They are in totally different genre, feel and mood!

[@tylerwade3682]

If becoming the second most listened artist in the world on Spotify is a flop, then it makes me excited to see how the trilogy ends

[@ave-6130]

They’re talking about the album specifically

[@tylerwade3682]

@@ave-6130 I'm also talking about the album. Dawn FM made him the second most listened artist of all time on Spotify

[@fallenyt3749]

Hes number 1 today 😂

[@kelvinarnold5458]

Who seriously woke up and pit these two against each other 🤣🤣 The Weeknd damn near gave a million people depression when he canceled his tour. Man's built different.

[@trilegyb228]

Why is it that Weeknd fans want The Weeknd to only make emo,edgy,depressed,Bella hadid music these people need to understand that every artist change. If he keeps making my dear melancholy music then it’s going to be boring, but when he makes funk disco music the fans later slam it saying it’s not a my dear melancholy or a after hours album. What do you expect if he make’s fun music then enjoy it but if you hate it the fuck off, same goes with Tyler the creator if he keeps making songs like goblin or bastard it will get boring, annoying and forgettable, but when he made Igor flower boy it’s more enjoyable so Weeknd fans like Dillon Jackson enjoy this new Weeknd, if not then fuck off.

[@notadynrark1802]

Dont say weeknd fans and group us all together. A lot of us want a new sound that dawn fm gave…

[@dez-m]

@@notadynrark1802 agree

[@firstlast9846]

You said about making the same type of music - but Dawn FM is literally JUST synth pop.. my problem is the album should’ve been spaced out better with other genres cos look at any other Weeknd album and it’s spaced out with RnB, Pop and occasional Trap inspired songs. The lack of variety is what’s the problem - but even then the album’s fairly solid - even for a project I don’t like there’s still some decent songs on there. Hopefully his next project is better.

[@solodolotrevino]

I didn’t become a fan until Starboy. I love the direction he’s been going

[@thedon0516]

I don't mind the direction he's going, I just live The Weeknd music in general, his old & new music. In a couple years, The Weekne music won't even sound like Starboy, DawnFM, After Hours, etc. He'll most likely have a different sound by like 2025

[@Xilaas]

If I hadn’t been following his KZbin I wouldn’t have known Dawn FM was even a thing. Super glad cause FM is amazing! The guy only puts out amazing creations

[@IQ2992]

People who think numbers = quality need to grow up for real.

[@calebthepure9111]

*cough* drake fans *cough*

[@jacob8972]

He didn’t push enough 🅿️

[@jennyneon]

Dawn FM's a great album, sales don't mean everything. The Weeknd put in work on this.

[@nealg2355]

It's only been 2 weeks smh. Still bumping that DAWN FM.

[@summerslider2487]

I stopped looking at sales figures when I realized the music I like nowadays isn’t even popular compared to what is most heard. Just enjoy what you like guys. Who tf cares about sales. I wish artists get paid, but I ain’t gonna chose artist’s solely based on how many tracks they sell.

[@CharlieGavidia]

This was needed to be said. Stop comparing artists by their numbers and enjoy the damn music!!

[@ErickJohnson-rz5lg]

The Weeknd album is wayyyyyy better point blank period I pre-ordered the weekend album asap there's a collected of music I always clip physical media nowadays artists think they doing something just because they doing all the digital sales and all this extra crap that is going along with the music industry it's just a different time for physical media but people still buy physical copies some of these companies just don't seem to understand that let alone try to corner that market for a demographic they still buys physical music

[@firstlast9846]

I don’t think the albums are comparable in the slightest - one is Trap / Hip Hop and the other is Pop.. Dawn - despite the fact I think it’s the most mid album Weeknd’s put out - is still better constructed than Gunna’s tho.. that’s all I can really say.

[@bensnyder9776]

Album is mid

[@solodolotrevino]

Weeknd is one of the few artists whose vinyls I actually would spend money on

[@solodolotrevino]

@@bensnyder9776 I guarantee it gets better the more you listen

[@ssj-rose4572]

10 yrs from now nobody will listen to gunna but the weekend catalog will live forever

[@turboshazed7370]

Not a huge Gunna fan but he's gonna keep growing for at least part of this decade.

[@Tissuestrash]

this is so cap lmao

[@Lr3g]

@@Tissuestrash i feel like gunna bout to end up like dababy

[@yollie4841]

GUNNA BEEN WINNING FOR 7 YEARS NOW HE HAS YET TO SCRATCH THE SURFACE, U REALISE HE HAS TIES TO THE STREET SO HIS MUSIC WILL NEVER DIE

[@MiLLz830]

@@Lr3g I hope not dababy mid

[@rjgreer7561]

The Weeknd is still the goat

[@polarhero57]

The only reason is because CDs, vinyls, and cassettes didn’t count towards the first week sales. When they all start shipping out and counting towards sales Dawn FM will skyrocket to #1. That’s literally the only reason. Gunna album sucked and that’s really all there is to it.

[@perplexed1783]

Nah DS4 got bangers too u just hatin

[@polarhero57]

@@perplexed1783 DS4 is deadass gunnas worst album. beats sucked, he sound bored as fuck, sounds the same as every single other gunna album. Wunna was way more fun than this steaming pile of shit. At least the beats on Wunna were nice to listen to. There isn’t a single song on DS4 that is anywhere near as good as Dollaz On My Head or Top Floor.

[@AnyThingWorx]

@@polarhero57 so every Gunna album?

[@perplexed1783]

@Polarhero57 This is because u ain't Pushin 🅿️

[@polarhero57]

@@AnyThingWorx At least with other Gunna albums the beats is nice

[@brba1325]

The Weeknd has two albums on the Billboard 200, Dawn FM at #2, The Highlights at #6. The Weeknd is the type of artist where one album will convince a listener to by all previous albums... All the way back to House of Ballons. A Weeknd album will continue to sell and listened to every day until the next album release. But congratulations to Gunna for being #1 for the first week. That is an accomplishment.

[@mrchad3287]

The only difference between Dawn FM and DS4EVER is that DawnFM is going to age beautifully

[@staywidow]

ds4 is too lmao i could def see people bumping majority of the album for years

[@yatharthc6475]

@@staywidow lmfao wtf

[@jhache9211]

@@staywidow said nobody ever

[@ipman127]

no it's not it's trash

[@pree5888]

@@jhache9211 gunna fans will. It’s just a different type of music.

[@k8_s]

honestly i think its a good thing that this album "undersold". hopefully this means this album wont get fucked by radio stations like After Hours did

[@kevin-wo4rs]

I ain’t gonna lie. It got tiring listening to the same songs they played like every hour or something

[@PicekRudly]

The only song I heard in my country was Moth to a flame maybe once or twice from the new releases and honestly I love the song so much I could listen to it all day so i aint complainin 🤣

[@solodolotrevino]

This album will have longevity even without radio

[@jacobfroese3485]

The Weeknd has a pattern: HoB had a lot of hits, then Thursday and Echoes were more experimental; Kissland was experiemental, then he drops beauty behind the madness another album with crazy hits; starboy was another highly marketable album, but then he drops my dear melancholy, which was extremely unique. I’m loving this change up of sounds and radio popularity vs. Artistic vision.

[@sxperhero_]

Dawn FM is a much deeper project but it also had songs like take my breath which is why I’m surprised it didn’t sell more because even though some of the album is geared towards solo listening I wouldn’t be surprised to hear some of the songs off dawn fm at a party.

[@zns2236]

Is this for real nowadays? I'm seeing this everyday . We compare the best artist of our generation and the creator of electronic r&b to gunna (and other so-like artists) whom songs become viral from tik tok and memes, ok we're done.

[@MGSilencerTV]

This

[@Ria-sd2ex]

You have such a comprehensive, intelligent way of breaking down things like this.

[@lilachie]

First week sales really don't matter ,Gunna sales will probably go down as time goes by but Weeknd will do the opposite

[@hollowdroid28]

Only in US he outsold him. Weeknd's new album's sales worldwide is insane.

[@bmwdagang]

This is the only reason we will talk about Gunnas álbum in the future, but we will talk about Abel's Album for the music quality itself

[@PokeBallerLuke]

W video, great takes all around, especially the end where you talked about sales!

[@kc.21k]

Pushin P lowkey carried this album. Without that the quality that was on Dawn FM would have gotten what it deserves with that #1 spot

[@Pixiecut75]

I love both artist in their own way, whenever I listen to anything new from Gunna I enjoy it in the moment after a few months I forget what he even dropped. The Weeknd on the other hand, I feel like his music gets better as it ages. A year from now I’ll forget what Gunna dropped but The Weeknd will most likely still have hits playing from this album

[@chrishernandez5173]

i told myself this when he first announced dawn and said the after hours is over. after hours was so fucking big of an era that i was like he needs to have and take a minute to disappear because people need to want him again. he needed a “big” break in between albums after the big success of after hours. once he announced dawn so soon i knew it wasn’t gonna hit as before because it’s too soon for him to release after all that happened the years before.

[@jasonarmstrong9656]

This is just wrong. Dawn highly critiqued. Dawn has all the global stats in the world. It counts only US with no physicals

[@jujsteen7]

Yeah I agree. Dawn FM is still a huge success globally, but I feel like him not taking that break also contributed to the US sales. Even if he did promote this project, it probably would have done better, but still not as good as After Hours.

[@westcoastenvy]

How does the word “flop” even come up? Gunna outsold Weeknd’s second week by like 2k units. That Weeknd album is more than likely going to hit #1 again.

[@kjreed953]

It’s literally freefalling as we speak he just sold 61k in his 2nd week gunna sold 96k in his 2nd week lol

[@justinhoeksema4464]

Only real music going to last, all that other bullshit is here today and gone tomorrroooowww 🔥

[@taffyroosevelt7809]

The beat dropped in my head.

[@MGSilencerTV]

Wait for The Weeknd’s worldwide tour, the charts are going to be fucked up lol

[@i.turn.tables6455]

Was waiting for someone to talk about this.

[@amish4448]

He didnt even make physical copies which is heavily bought by his fans. For example, 100k+ of his album sales for after hours came from vinyls cassestes etc. So, when he meant he just wanted fans to enjoy the music and that he doesnt care about the numbers, he meant it. I think people should not get hung over the numbers and just enjoy the music.

[@georgeward1986]

he did release physical copies?

[@kanakkaradbhajne7105]

@@georgeward1986 no

[@georgeward1986]

@@kanakkaradbhajne7105 he did i have bought one

[@MustangChris1]

@@georgeward1986 now but not first week, I always buy vinyl for any artist I truly love and support, I couldn't first week for dawn

[@MysticalMastodon]

Funnily enough, DS4Ever is now at #16 on Billboard, and Dawn FM is #2.

[@Bro-dr3ou]

Screw the sales. DawnFM is an amazing album…it’s even better than after hours😭🔥 This will consistently sell not just first week.

[@kashenmoodley8293]

Cap

[@yale2380]

L

[@bensnyder9776]

Mid

[@alexbrannon5734]

LMAOOOOOO BETTER THAN AFTER HOURS?!?!? HELL NAHHH

[@nasiru17]

Nah Fam..😒

[@Imhim247]

I like this new format fam💯💯💯

[@saikamalpeta3668]

Thanks for the video Shawn🥺😘💖. ❌⭕

[@NoThoughtAllFeels]

Ironic because Dawn FM is one of his best albums, my personal favourite too.

[@trixie4528]

He specifically said he didn’t care about the sales 👍🏻👍🏻

[@johnorlandi6042]

I’m personally done with the 80’s stuff. So it doesn’t shock me

[@rhettclark9703]

Dawn FM is one of the best albums in a couple decades. It’s pretty darn good

[@ash3878]

decades pls

[@dez-m]

This video is so perfectly wrapped! The Weeknd is a truly talented artists in his craft. Dawn FM is my favorite album so far followed by Earl and FKA Twigs. (Of 2022)

[@nosidezero]

Crazy how we got a Weeknd, Earl, and Twigs drop in just January 🤧

[@dez-m]

@@nosidezero ikr!!!!! Like WTF, as if 2021 wasn't good enough 😭😭😭

[@dulymaximus]

People seem to forget sometimes that music is meant to be enjoyed and shared indiscriminately, who cares about sales if you enjoy the music, the weekend is just siting chillin with a legendary discography, he can care less.

[@mrclassix3599]

I love the weekend but “ Dawn FM “ in my opinion wasn’t meant for Number but was something he made for XO Update: The Weeknd now The first artist to reach the top spot on Spotify monthly listener in 9 different times … let’s go XO✞

[@ipsonmin]

now this. with after hours i don’t think abel really cared for numbers no more, dude on the podium. xotwod

[@mrclassix3599]

Yea he doesn’t anymore he really into more making for his fans and plus After hours was a success over Covid and then TikTok, but also think about this , After hours was drop on March 20 right on Covid but when thing was barely being on lockdown “ Dawn Fm” at the moment is actually doing good and better then After hours, Made #1 on Spotify hella fast and is still growing… Dawn Fm will have its peak and will be up there maybe won’t be the best album of the year but will be good

[@kingachilles8255]

@@mrclassix3599 Dawn is good unlike after hours which was a very good album.

[@mrclassix3599]

@@kingachilles8255 honestly you are correct but idk if you follow “Abel news” and in charts it show that Sacrifice is currently catching up to blinding light

[@kingachilles8255]

@@mrclassix3599 Sacrifice is my favourit. It can go to the heights.

[@micah459]

Gunna became a meme and his music was played a lot on tiktok. This contributed to his album sales. The both took a W imo

[@enjoidavid]

Dawn FM was a fucking banger. Anyone who has a iq of 10 would know it’s much superior than DS4Ever

[@ryanwebb3945]

I was honestly crushed by all the outright terrible opinions on this album, I’m just glad it’s here for me to enjoy an endless amount of times. Phenomenal production, transitions, and chorus’s. Hell even the Quincy skit was phenomenal. And do we even need to Talk about Jim’s segments? Can’t believe you guys let Gunna’s generic, drugged out trap album get #1

[@bellebelle90ful]

👏👏👏👏

[@souljaharmony6245]

DawnFM was number 1 globally. Gunna only hit in the US. Gunna wasn't completely trash but I only played the whole album once and kept a couple tracks for the pkaylist. I've played DawnFM at least once all the way through everyday since it dropped. Shits a classic already.

[@kanakkaradbhajne7105]

POINT.

[@OSNLebuna]

Thank you for this comment. Niggas tripping

[@bugmanmaster6650]

DAWN FM is the kissland of trilogy to after hours. An amazing experience with not a lot of single power but as a whole, a complete concept that is underappreciated in it's day.

[@chanman4rings]

He barely promoted this album, little to no marketing. This was clearly a passion project from him. Marketing works, that's been proven over and over again. No marketing and he still outsold everyone globally, the market is larger than just the US. This was hardly a flop

[@musichere3287]

Also has to be remembered that The Weeknd outsold (and outstreamed) Gunna by a mile worldwide (as expected) which is obviously more important than one country. But congrats to Gunna!

[@felix7048]

The Weeknd outsold Gunna workdwide, so its not that big of a deal, but still the absolute state of the US when they decide to listen more to Gunna than the Weeknd like bruh... ☠️

[@alijahpelletier]

Appreciated what you had to say here G

[@Narovski]

I really really doubt that Abel now is concerned that his first week sales were few thousand less than Gunna’s. It’s just us, comparing one with another for some strange reason. People are strange, as Jim Morrison once said:)

[@TheRealBeatMaster]

Who started a whole Weeknd vs Gunna storyline haha, the internet doing the most to generate content from nothing

[@daquangladden7943]

Bro it’s really not that serious, y’all comparing two different artists cuz weekend sold less😭

[@friendly5754]

Lmaooo facts the shit is annoying. These lame Pop music mfs are beyond me. Salty cause rap took the W and i aint knockin nobody’s musical taste but we in the trenches we aint listening to no fuckin Weekend

[@11_valyghost2]

@@friendly5754 speak for yourself

[@friendly5754]

@@11_valyghost2 speak for deez nutz

[@K2MNI]

Not sure if anyone else has mentioned it but I recall a tweet was made prior to the release of Dawn FM saying that the suddenly announced release would make them unable to produce the physical copies (vinyls, CDs, cassettes) in stores in time for release week and the weeknd replied and said he didn’t care about album sales and just wanted to release the music.

[@judledoodle]

i just love dwanFM and always hated that it had so less attention, but now it makes a lot sense!!

[@yeshuakebede]

As a Weeknd fan, I just wanna take time to give Shawn his appreciation because what his saying is actually Factual ‼️ the weeknd delivered more of a personal piece which is absolutely fire🔥

[@goldmedal67]

It’s smashing global charts. Top global album, 500M+ streams, and he has 24 songs charting in the global charts, most by a male artist ever

[@TAI-iu2fz]

thx, this vid was super helpful. this vid helped me understand why gunna had bigger first week sales than the weeknd. like at first I was very shocked to find this out just like everyone else but now it all makes total sense after watching this. I think ppl who say that the weeknd flopped or r surprised by ds4ever having more first week sales need to watch this vid. i'm for sure gonna recommend this vid.

[@chefwards6959]

If drake sold less than gunna y’all would say he fell off

[@kys4265]

i think the weeknd missed sonically, hob eos or after hours just better in every aspect

[@kys4265]

or mdm,

[@groovymanny]

Dawm FM is a better listening experience than DS4 regardless of the type of music they make, but yeah Abel lost fair and square. Twitter been pushing 🅿️ long enough for DS4 to outsell Dawn FM.🗿 Probably a stupid take from me but lemme know what y'all think.

[@planet.astris]

nah you right, the social media push definitely affected sales

[@seanjameson._]

As a DJ at a strip club, I respectfully disagree that some of these records can't be played at the same place lmao

[@rockain5]

Lol I thought that take was silly too. He did the super bowl for crying out loud. He’s not Mach Hommy or anything. Not gonna scare away hoes and strippers by playing The Weeknd And yeah, you can listen to Gunna by yourself. His albums aren’t pure party records

[@deathshott8218]

You should do more of these commercial videos about sales

[@Hamzethegoat]

I don’t think he cares to much he literally tweeted he don’t care about the numbers before it dropped. Dawn FM is the number 1 global album worldwide Weeknd is bigger worldwide then he is in the US n the main reason is American music is ran by hip hop easily

[@NikoZguri]

no, he didn’t. #2 is still great

[@bmhwdy]

People are acting like the album flopped because it “only” reached #2 in the US and got passed by a small margin. Meanwhile, the album went #1 in… Canada Australia UK Netherlands Finland Ireland Lithuania New Zealand Norway Sweden Switzerland Sounds pretty successful to me. First week isn’t everything, I guarantee Dawn FM will have sold more overall by the end of the year.

[@DylanFIFA]

The Weeknd will go down as an legend and this will be remembered as one of his best projects, thats all that matters. Gunna won't be remembered in 10 years.

[@theaccountable]

As an artist the Weeknd album is more of the artist project which you can tell makes Abel much more satisfied than making a mainstream album something Starboy would've been for. Dawn FM was a personal personal album out of all of them one that represented growth as an artist and person.

[@theaccountable]

And as someone that has played both albums in my dispensary, Dawn FM has had the most well received feedback from multiple customers of all ages which speaks to the timelessness of the sonics he chose.

[@Rahul-px3my]

Personally, i feel gunna probably "outsold" the weeknd only in the us. Whereas the weeknd is an artist loved by fans from around the world and he is number 1 in many other countries as well as globally.

[@jasminlapanske4331]

fact

[@christellavillatoro7687]

Amazing analysis!!!!!

[@JaQPaul]

We’re still in the middle of the rollout for Dawn Fm. I originally thought After Hours didn’t hit until he had something new with every month of the pandemic like videos and preformances

[@Ahmalik_Yaaz]

I don’t think DawnFm flopped at all. The Weeknd dropped the album out of passion rather than sales and this is evident in his tweet saying he doesn’t care for numbers.