The Weeknd ¦ After Hours
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After Hours is the fourth studio album by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. It was released on March 20, 2020 by XO and Republic Records. Primarily produced by the Weeknd, it features a variety of producers, including DaHeala, Illangelo, Max Martin, Metro Boomin, and OPN, most of whom the Weeknd had worked with previously. The standard edition of the album has no features, but the deluxe edition features Ariana Grande and the remixes edition contains guest appearances from Chromatics and Lil Uzi Vert. Thematically, After Hours explores loneliness, self-loathing, and escapism.
Prior to the album's release, the Weeknd confirmed that After Hours would contrast stylistically with its predecessor, Starboy (2016). Music journalists have noted the album as an artistic reinvention for the Weeknd, with the introduction of new wave and dream pop influences. The album's title is borrowed from the 1985 film of the same name, while the artwork was inspired by various other films.
After Hours was supported by four singles: "Heartless", "Blinding Lights", "In Your Eyes", and "Save Your Tears", three of which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The title track was released as a promotional single. The album received positive reviews; some critics named it the Weeknd's best work. It debuted atop the Billboard 200, marking the Weeknd's fourth number-one album in the US, and stayed atop the chart for four consecutive weeks. After Hours also reached the top spot in 20 other countries, including his native Canada and the United Kingdom. As of December 2022, the album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Due to tour delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Weeknd completed his fifth studio album, Dawn FM, released in early 2022, before launching a tour to support both releases.
Background and release
The Weeknd first teased that he was working on a new album during a performance in November 2018, telling the crowd that "Chapter VI was coming soon".[1] He continued to tease the project on January 12, 2019, by tweeting "no more daytime music". His post made fans and media outlets believe that he would continue the darker sounds that were present in his first EP My Dear Melancholy (2018).[2] The Weeknd further teased the album on August 6, by tweeting "album mode full effect".[3]
After a five-month period of silence,[4][5] the Weeknd revealed a snippet of the album's second single "Blinding Lights" through a Mercedes-Benz commercial.[6] The next day, he teased the album's lead single "Heartless", which was released on November 27, 2019; "Blinding Lights" was released two days later.[7][8][9] In the hours leading up to the release of "Heartless", the Weeknd took to social media to tease the album's era, posting "the fall starts tomorrow night" and "Tonight we start a new brain melting psychotic chapter! Let's go!"[10]
On February 13, 2020, the Weeknd revealed the album's title through a short teaser.[11][12] On February 19, he revealed the album's artwork and release date, and released its title track as a promotional single.[13][14] On March 17, the Weeknd unveiled After Hours' tracklist.[15] Hours before the album was released, the Weeknd announced that After Hours was dedicated to longtime fan Lance, the host of the XO Podcast who died the night before.[16][17] On its release day, the album premiered on the eighth episode of the Weeknd's Apple Music 1 radio show Memento Mori.[18] At the same time, the Weeknd hosted a listening session on Spotify.[19] A deluxe edition of the album, containing five remixes, was surprise released on March 23, 2020.[20] An updated deluxe edition, containing three additional tracks, was released on March 30.[21] A remix EP, featuring the deluxe edition's remixes and an additional remix, was released on April 3.[22]
Composition
Musically, After Hours is a R&B, new wave and dream pop record[23] that includes electropop[24] and synth-pop influences.[25] The album also contains elements of synthwave,[26] electro,[27] electro house,[28] trap,[29] drum and bass,[30] liquid funk,[31] and synth-rock.[32] Lyrically, After Hours explores themes of heartbreak, escapism, loneliness, promiscuity, overindulgence, self-loathing and regret.[33]
When asked about the reason behind the album's title, the Weeknd explained to Variety: "Oh, there are so many reasons for it. The main reason is these are all emotions and thoughts and feelings that I had late at night – [like the video] is all one night and I’m going through all the emotions, after the club, after the fight and after a long day, it's like these are my thoughts from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m."[30]
Artwork and aesthetic
The artwork and aesthetic for the album's promotional material has been described as psychedelic and being inspired by various films, such as: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Joker (2019), Casino (1995), and Uncut Gems (2019), with the last film having a cameo appearance by the Weeknd himself.[34] The title of the album was inspired by the 1985 movie of the same name by Martin Scorsese.[35] The Weeknd's physical appearance in the era has been described by journalists as being red-pigmented,[36] with him consistently maintaining a red suit and specific hairstyle throughout all of the album's promotional material, such as its artwork, music videos, teasers, and live performances,[37] with its music videos and live performances used to create a mini story.[38] The album's overall art direction was primarily handled by the Tammi brothers,[39] with its design being handled by Aleksi Tammi.[39] The album's creative direction was handled by the Weeknd's creative director and childhood friend La Mar Taylor.[40]
Promotion
Singles
On November 27, 2019, the album's lead single, "Heartless", was released digitally on music stores and streaming services.[41] The song was noticeably produced by American record producer Metro Boomin. At the time of its release, it was the Weeknd's first solo single since 2018's "Call Out My Name" from the EP My Dear Melancholy (2018). The single peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became the Weeknd's fourth song to top the chart, with it also becoming Metro Boomin's second chart topper that he produced.[42] Its music video was released on December 3, 2019.[43]
"Blinding Lights" was released digitally on music stores and streaming services on November 29, 2019, as the album's second single.[44] The song peaked at number one in 22 countries, including the United States and Canada, where it became the Weeknd's fifth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian Hot 100 for four and seven weeks respectively. It also became his first number-one single in Germany for ten weeks, United Kingdom for eight weeks, and Australia for eleven weeks, thus making it his biggest hit single to date.[45][46][47] Its music video was released on January 21, 2020.[48] It would later become the Billboard No. 1 Song of All Time in 2021.[49]
"In Your Eyes" was released to rhythmic contemporary radio on March 24, 2020, as the album's third single.[50] The song peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.[51] Its music video was released on March 23, 2020.[52]
"Save Your Tears" was released to contemporary hit radio in Europe as the album's fourth single on August 9, 2020.[53][54] It was later released to US rhythmic contemporary radio on November 24, 2020.[55] Following the remix with Ariana Grande, the song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.[51] The music video for the song was released on January 5, 2021.[56]
Performances
On December 5, 2019, the Weeknd performed "Heartless" for the first time on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert[57] with "Blinding Lights" receiving its debut performance the following day on the same show.[58] Both performances received positive reactions from critics and audiences, and were compared to those done by Michael Jackson and Prince in the past.[59] On January 22, 2020, the Weeknd performed "Blinding Lights" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[60] His appearance during the performance on the show was inspired by the events that occurred within the aforementioned single's music video, which was released shortly before his live performance.[61] For his performance on the March 7, 2020, episode of Saturday Night Live,[62] He performed a comedic track alongside Kenan Thompson and Chris Redd, made specifically for the show, titled "On the Coucgian). IFPI Norway. December 3, 2019. Archived from the original on January 31, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.