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The Weeknd briefly considered halting the launch of his latest album as he didn’t want to appear "insensitive" during the coronavirus pandemic.
Amid the havoc the Covid-19 virus has caused around the world, numerous artists have made the decision to push back the release dates of their new projects. However, The Weeknd opted against doing that, and dropped After Hours last month.
Explaining his reasons for not delaying the release, the star, real name Abel Tesfaye, told Billboard: "At first, I felt like it might have been insensitive to release it, but to my fans I felt like I would have been doing a disservice to push it back.
"Hopefully it can help some people escape our reality, if only for an hour out of their day, while we all work hard to get through this together."
It seems he made the right decision, as After Hours launched atop the Billboard 200 albums chart with the top weekly total of the year so far. The impressive charting also made The Weeknd the first artist to ever lead the Billboard 200, Billboard Hot 100, Billboard Artist 100, Hot 100 Songwriters and Hot 100 Producers charts simultaneously.
Of his success, the 30-year-old smiled: "It feels like a huge blessing. As artists, being recognised for what we do is the ultimate validation. I share this honour with my team and my fans who have been tirelessly supporting me."