S. Samuel
R&B singer The Weeknd's new Trilogy album is reportedly en route to debut on the sales chart next week with one-day estimates up to 105,000 copies.
Although not enough to top the sales chart, the soulful singer’s new solo effort should easily find himself in the Top 5.
Syco/Columbia’s One Direction is expected to sell a teenage riot of 525-575k on their way to #1 this week, and while nothing else in the current crop of debuts will put up numbers like that, they’re all likely to end up under the tree, in the stocking or appended to a mesh bag of Chanukah gelt. The Weeknd from XO/Republic is on track to move 95-105k; the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn 2 ST from Chop Shop/Atlantic should bite off 85-90k; and the latest from RCA diva and The Voice star Christina Aguilera is set to rack up 75-80k. (Hits Daily Double)
The new project is a compilation of Weeknd’s first three underground efforts.
Since Drake ‘s October’s Very Own crew plugged a few Weeknd cuts in a blog post in 2010, Tesfaye has shied away from press, and his mainstream appearances were few and far between: a hook here, a sample there, a handful of live performances. Given how he’s ducked from the spotlight, it’s easy to feel as if we haven’t learned much about him. But Trilogy (out November 13), the reissue of those first three mixtapes, says more than enough. A sinister, seemingly Eyes Wide Shut-inspired swingers club fantasy, Trilogy unravels a broader story of indulgence (House of Balloons), addiction (Thursday) and sobering up (Echoes of Silence) that’s most devastating when swallowed whole. (Idolator)
Music agent Joel Zimmerman recently spoke on the singer’s reluctance to do media interviews.
Zimmerman notes that the Weeknd has already begun recording new material, and that major touring plans will bring him to Europe in the spring, the festival circuit in the summer and even bigger U.S. venues next fall. The artist may even become more accessible in due time. “At some point, he’ll start doing press,” Zimmerman says, “but right now it’s been more about the music and the performance and just evolving as an artist.” (Billboard)
Last year, rap star Drake called Weeknd one of the greatest artists he’s ever met.
“Not only did he inspire me to get out there and sing better on stage, he inspired me writing wise, music wise, just to better my product,” Drake explained in an interview. “He’s on my album a lot. We really collaborated a lot on this album…He’s one of the greatest artists I’ve ever heard. To hear someone with an incredible body of work is very rare. It’s very inspiring. We formed OVOXO, which is taking over right now. I’m proud of him. He works real hard. He’s just an incredible person, [has] become a really close friend to me.” (The Juice)
