Beauty Behind the Madness explained

Beauty Behind the Madness
Type:studio
Artist:the Weeknd
Cover:The Weeknd - Beauty Behind the Madness.png
Border:yes
Alt:The cover features face of The Weeknd in his iconic dredlocks hairstyle. It appars like the cover has been torn and those torn pieces are placed again.
Genre:
  • Alternative R&B
  • pop
Label:
Producer:
Prev Title:Kiss Land
Prev Year:2013
Year:2015
Next Title:Starboy
Next Year:2016

Beauty Behind the Madness is the second studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. It was released on August 28, 2015, through XO and Republic Records. It features guest appearances from Labrinth, Ed Sheeran and Lana Del Rey. The album was executive produced by the Weeknd, DaHeala and Illangelo, and includes production from Kanye West, Stephan Moccio, Ben Billions, DannyBoyStyles, Max Martin, and Ali Payami, among others.

Five singles were released from Beauty Behind the Madness, including two US Billboard Hot 100 number-ones: "The Hills" and "Can't Feel My Face". The album also includes the Academy Award-nominated track "Earned It", which served as the lead single from the soundtrack to Fifty Shades of Grey. Beauty Behind the Madness received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number one in several countries. It marked the Weeknd's first number-one album in the United States, earning 412,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. It was the tenth best-selling album of 2015, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, with 1.5 million copies sold worldwide. At the 58th Annual Grammy Awards in 2016, Beauty Behind the Madness won Best Urban Contemporary Album and was nominated for Album of the Year.

Background

Following the release of the compilation album Trilogy (2012) and his debut studio album Kiss Land (2013), the Weeknd spoke to MTV about the two projects; describing them as the first and second chapters of his life.

Shortly after Kiss Land, the Weeknd began contributing to film soundtracks and other projects. He appeared on the soundtrack to (2013) on the song "Devil May Cry" and as a featured artist on Sia and Diplo's single "Elastic Heart".[1] [2] On September 30, 2014, the Weeknd appeared on Ariana Grande's single "Love Me Harder" from her second studio album My Everything.[3] He then made an appearance on the soundtrack to Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) on the songs "Earned It" and "Where You Belong"; with the former track peaking at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100.[4] [5]

On July 5, 2015, during an interview on Beats 1 Radio, Ed Sheeran revealed that he had worked with the Weeknd on the album and that Kanye West was also involved.[6] The Weeknd formally announced his second album on July 9 by revealing the album's title and sharing its artwork.[7]

Composition

Beauty Behind the Madness has been described by critics as a noticeable shift from the Weeknd's alternative R&B background to a more mainstream pop-oriented sound; with some of his original elements remaining intact.[8] [9]

In addition to its alt-R&B<ref name="AllMusic" /> and pop sonics,[10] Beauty Behind the Madness incorporates elements of disco, funk, soul,[11] art rock,[12] blues,[13] and trap.[14] Influences of Michael Jackson's Thriller (1982) and Bad (1987) are also present throughout the album. Lyrical themes include romance, success, loneliness, self-loathing, and independence.[15]

Promotion

Tour

See main article: King of the Fall Tour and The Madness Fall Tour.

On June 26, 2014, the Weeknd announced the King of the Fall Tour, which spanned North America in September and October of that year. Schoolboy Q and Jhené Aiko appeared as supporting acts.[16] The tour was announced the day after the Weeknd released the single "Often" on SoundCloud. On August 20, 2015, he announced The Madness Fall Tour, his first arena tour, in support of the album.[17]

Performances

On July 4, 2015, the Weeknd headlined FVDED in the Park in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. On July 9, the Weeknd continued to promote the album by headlining summer music festivals, including Lollapalooza in Chicago, the Hard Summer Music Festival in Pomona, California, the Summer Set Music and Camping Festival in Somerset, Wisconsin, Philadelphia's Made in America Festival, Austin City Limits in Austin, and Seattle's Bumbershoot Festival.[18]

Singles

The first single, "Often", was released on July 31, 2014.[19] The song peaked at number 59 and number 69 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Hot 100, respectively.[4] [20]

The second single, "The Hills", was released on May 27, 2015.[21] The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.[4]

The third single, "Can't Feel My Face", was released on June 8, 2015, following the performance of the song by the Weeknd at Apple Worldwide Developers Conference on the same day.[22] The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.[4]

"In the Night" was serviced to US contemporary hit radio on November 17, 2015, as the album's fourth single.[23] The song peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4]

"Acquainted" was serviced to US urban contemporary radio on November 17, 2015, as the album's fifth and final single.[24] It was also serviced to US rhythmic contemporary on February 16, 2016.[25] The song peaked at number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4]

Critical reception

Beauty Behind the Madness was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 74, based on 26 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.9 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.

Sheldon Pearce of The A.V. Club said, "It expertly and carefully closes the gap between the Weeknd's perception and his reality". Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune said, "He's aiming for harder truths, creating pop that also works as a commentary on choice and consequence". Mackenzie Herd of Exclaim! said, "Beauty Behind the Madness proves that the Weeknd can thrive in the mainstream, and while the lyrics aren't overtly profound, he's proven that he is more versatile than previously thought, which is perhaps of greater importance at this stage in his career".[26] Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly said, "Anyone looking for a collection of homages to the King of Pop will be disappointed. Those masterpieces ["Can't Feel My Face" and "In The Night"] are outliers, and they end up making Madness missteps all the more jarring.... In the middle of those two poles lies a series of bass-heavy throb-and-moan blasts with the signature oddness (shape-shifting melodies, twitchy percussion) that makes the Weeknd a compelling artist". April Clare Welsh of NME said, "He may have softened his edge, upped the production and pulled in the stars, but the Weeknd remains an outsider". Andrew Ryce of Pitchfork said, "In the end, enjoying the Weeknd requires a certain suspension of disbelief, and that remains true on Beauty Behind the Madness. You really have to buy into his bad-guy persona.... For newcomers, there's a whole world to explore, and on Beauty Behind the Madness it's richer and smarter than ever".

Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone said, "If the sound has widened and even brightened in spots, the Weeknd still rocks a serious Eeyore vibe for much of Beauty Behind the Madness". Harley Brown of Spin said, "Beauty Behind the Madness is front-loaded with fresh directions for the Weeknd that achieve the impossible: make it sound like he's actually enjoying himself". Andy Kellman of AllMusic said, "The commercial strides are obvious. The creative advancements are less apparent, obstructed by some unappealing measures, but they're in there". Helen Brown of The Daily Telegraph said, "Real Life" builds up to a pitch of doomed drama from a corrosive slash of guitar as Tesfaye confides that even his "Mama called me destructive". But Ed Sheeran fails to rescue him on the tedious "Dark Times" and Lana Del Rey—who ought to be his perfect partner in pop-noir—adds nothing but a bored spritz of vocal perfume to the lethargic "Prisoner". Andy Gill of The Independent said, "Beauty Behind the Madness leaves one feeling just as estranged from Abel Tesfaye's depraved character as previous releases boasting less adhesive tunes".[27] Kitty Empire of The Observer said, "The Weeknd's most conventional songs thus far are Sheeran's boringly retro "Dark Times", and "Shameless", a guitar ballad unredeemable even by its deranged guitar solo. Elsewhere, the step up is more convincing, if not always easy to listen to".

Rankings

Publication! scope="col" class="unsortable"
ListRank
Billboard25 Best Albums of 2015
ComplexBest Albums of 2015
Digital SpyThe 25 Best Albums of 2015
Exclaim!Exclaim!s Top 10 Soul and R&B Albums of 2015
MojoTop 50 Albums of 2015
The New York TimesThe Best Albums of 2015 (Jon Caramanica)
NMENMEs Albums of the Year 2015
NowThe Top Toronto Albums of 2015
PitchforkBest Albums of 2015 (Reader's Poll)
Rolling Stone50 Best Albums of 2015
20 Best R&B Albums of 2015
500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2020 Revision)

Industry awards

Year! scope="col"
CeremonyCategoryResult
2015American Music AwardsFavorite Soul/R&B Album
GAFFA Awards (Sweden)Best Foreign Album
MOBO AwardsBest International Album
Soul Train Music AwardsBest Album of the Year
2016Grammy AwardsBest Urban Contemporary Album
Album of the Year
Billboard Music AwardsTop R&B Album
Top Billboard 200 Album
ECHO Music AwardsBest International Hip-Hop/Urban Album
iHeartRadio Music AwardsAlbum of the Year
Juno AwardsAlbum of the Year
R&B/Soul Recording of the Year
NAACP Image AwardsOutstanding Album
People's Choice AwardsFavorite Album
Polaris Music PrizePolaris Music Prize
2017Guinness World RecordsMost Streamed Album in One Year

Commercial performance

On August 31, 2015, Billboard estimated that Beauty Behind the Madness would sell approximately 300,000 copies during the first week of its release in the United States.[28] The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 412,000 album-equivalent units; it sold 326,000 copies in its first week, with the remainder of its unit total reflecting its streaming activity and track sales. It marked the Weeknd's first number-one album.[29] It remained atop the chart for the next two weeks and was the first album to spend three weeks at number one consecutively since Taylor Swift's 1989.[30] [31] The album also remained in the top 10 on the Billboard 200 for a total of 21 consecutive weeks.[32] According to International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, Beauty Behind the Madness was the tenth best-selling album of 2015 worldwide.[33] As of August 2017, the album has earned 3.7 million equivalent album units in the United States, of which 1.23 million are in traditional album sales. The set has also generated 2.05 billion on-demand audio streams for its songs.[34] It was the most-streamed album of 2015, and the fifth most-streamed album of 2016 on Spotify.[35] [36]

Track listing

Notes

Sample credits

Personnel

Credits adapted from album's liner notes.[37]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2015–2016)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Greek Albums (IFPI)[38] 14
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[39] 37
Slovak Albums (ČNS IFPI)[40] 52

Year-end charts

Chart (2015)! scope="col"
Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[41] 15
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)[42] 2
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[43] 89
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[44] 9
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[45] 12
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[46] 82
French Albums (SNEP)[47] 98
Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)[48] 96
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[49] 47
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[50] 7
UK Albums (OCC)[51] 26
US Billboard 200[52] 13
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[53] 5
Worldwide Albums (IFPI Global Music Report)[54] 10
Chart (2016)! scope="col"
Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[55] 50
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)[56] 8
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[57] 5
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[58] 15
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[59] 54
French Albums (SNEP)[60] 93
Icelandic Albums (Plötutíóindi)[61] 85
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[62] 34
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[63] 19
UK Albums (OCC)[64] 37
US Billboard 200[65] 9
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[66] 4
Chart (2017)! scope="col"
Position
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[67] 40
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[68] 44
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[69] 42
US Billboard 200[70] 47
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[71] 26
Chart (2018)! scope="col"
Position
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[72] 90
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[73] 81
US Billboard 200[74] 86
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[75] 60
Chart (2019)! scope="col"
Position
US Billboard 200[76] 123
Chart (2020)! scope="col"
Position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[77] 147
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[78] 92
US Billboard 200[79] 97
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[80] 100
Chart (2021)! scope="col"
Position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[81] 181
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[82] 83
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[83] 100
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[84] 87
Chart (2022)! scope="col"
Position
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[85] 78
Chart (2023)! scope="col"
Position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[86] 151

Decade-end charts

Chart (2010–2019)! scope="col"
Position
US Billboard 200[87] 36

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateLabel(s)Format(s)Ref.
United StatesAugust 28, 2015[88]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Album Review: Various Artists – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Soundtrack. Consequence. Hakimian. Rob. November 19, 2013. December 5, 2013. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20131128224214/http://consequenceofsound.net/2013/11/album-review-various-artists-the-hunger-games-catching-fire-soundtrack/. November 28, 2013.
  2. Web site: Elastic Heart (From "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" Soundtrack) [feat. The Weeknd, Diplo]

    Sia ]

    . . December 5, 2013 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20131222130727/http://www.amazon.com/Elastic-Heart-From-Hunger-Games/dp/B00FHU3G6I . December 22, 2013 .
  3. Web site: Ariana Grande and The Weeknd Team Up In 'Love Me Harder' Video. Rap-Up. October 3, 2014. October 4, 2014. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20141005205143/http://www.rap-up.com/2014/10/03/first-look-ariana-grande-the-weeknd-love-me-harder-video/. October 5, 2014.
  4. The Weeknd Chart History: Hot 100. Billboard. April 23, 2018. August 25, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190825112435/https://www.billboard.com/music/the-weeknd/chart-history/Hot-100. live.
  5. Web site: Listen to the Weeknd's New Single "Earned It" Featured On The "Fifty Shades of Grey" Soundtrack. The Source. Vineshv. December 23, 2014. October 8, 2020. December 4, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201204205424/https://thesource.com/2014/12/23/listen-to-the-weeknds-new-single-earned-it-featured-on-the-fifty-shades-of-grey-soundtrack/. live.
  6. Web site: The Weeknd's new album will reportedly feature Kanye West collaboration. NME. Levine. Nick. July 6, 2015. July 12, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150712003503/http://www.nme.com/news/the-weeknd/86718. July 12, 2015.
  7. The Weeknd Announces 'Beauty Behind The Madness' Album. Billboard. Lipshutz. Jason. July 9, 2015. July 12, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150711224436/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/the-juice/6627123/weeknd-beauty-behind-the-madness-album. July 11, 2015.
  8. Web site: Ryan. Patrick. August 27, 2015. The Weeknd finds 'Beauty' in the mainstream. January 28, 2022. USA Today. en-US. January 28, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220128050353/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2015/08/27/weeknd-beauty-behind-madness-new-album/32404959/. live.
  9. Web site: Scott. Damien. August 26, 2015. Review: The Weeknd's 'Beauty Behind the Madness'. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150828193524/http://www.complex.com/music/2015/08/the-weeknd-beauty-behind-the-madness-review. August 28, 2015. January 28, 2022. Complex.
  10. Web site: The Weeknd – Beauty Behind The Madness . . August 26, 2015 . August 31, 2015 . Dowling . Marcus . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150831021119/http://hiphopdx.com/reviews/id.2517/title.the-weeknd-beauty-behind-the-madness . August 31, 2015 .
  11. Web site: Lester. Paul. Paul Lester. August 28, 2015. The Weeknd – Beauty Behind The Madness first listen review: '65 minutes of bleak, brooding beauty'. January 27, 2022. The Guardian. en. January 27, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220127060204/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/aug/28/the-weeknd-beauty-behind-the-madness-first-listen-review-65-minutes-of-bleak-brooding-beauty. live.
  12. Web site: The Recording Academy. The Recording Academy. September 8, 2016. The Oral History of The Weeknd's 'Beauty Behind the Madness'. January 27, 2022. Cuepoint. en. January 27, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220127044418/https://medium.com/cuepoint/the-oral-history-of-the-weeknd-s-beauty-behind-the-madness-81a7218b721c. live.
  13. Web site: Wood. Mikael. August 28, 2015. Review: The Weeknd clears away the haze for 'Beauty Behind the Madness'. January 27, 2022. Los Angeles Times. en-US. January 27, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220127044418/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-the-weeknd-beauty-behind-the-madness-review-20150828-story.html. live.
  14. Web site: Fitzgerald. Trent. August 22, 2015. The Weeknd's 'Beauty Behind the Madness' Album Available for Streaming. January 27, 2022. The Boombox. en. January 27, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220127044416/https://theboombox.com/the-weeknd-beauty-behind-the-madness-album-streaming/. live.
  15. Web site: Raymer. Miles. August 27, 2015. How The Weeknd Conquered Pop (and Not the Other Way Around). January 28, 2022. GQ. en-US. January 28, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220128052417/https://www.gq.com/story/weeknd-beauty-behind-the-madness. live.
  16. Web site: The Weeknd touring w/ Schoolboy Q & Jhene Aiko, playing Barclays Center (dates); SBQ played Central Park. BrooklynVegan. June 26, 2014. March 11, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140924044926/http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2014/06/the_weeknd_tour_1.html. September 24, 2014.
  17. Web site: The Weeknd Announces "The Madness" Fall Tour. Pitchfork. Gordon. Jeremy. August 20, 2015. September 29, 2023. January 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210107223940/https://pitchfork.com/news/60875-the-weeknd-announces-the-madness-fall-tour/. live.
  18. Web site: The Weeknd's new album is coming Aug. 28. USA Today. July 15, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150713235618/http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2015/07/10/weeknd-beauty-behind-the-madness-august-28-release/29961285/. July 13, 2015.
  19. Web site: Often – Single by The Weeknd . https://web.archive.org/web/20141111095520/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/often-single/id904807676 . dead . November 11, 2014 . . United States. November 26, 2016 .
  20. The Weeknd Chart History: Canadian Hot 100. Billboard. April 23, 2018. April 2, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220402052308/https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-weeknd/chart-history/can/. live.
  21. Web site: iTunes Music – The Hills – Single by The Weeknd. https://web.archive.org/web/20150611041515/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-hills-single/id999009844. dead. June 11, 2015. iTunes Store. April 21, 2018.
  22. Kreps. Daniel. Hear the Weeknd's Funky New Song 'Can't Feel My Face'. Rolling Stone. June 17, 2015. June 8, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150618031403/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-the-weeknds-funky-new-song-cant-feel-my-face-20150608. June 18, 2015.
  23. Web site: Top 40/M Future Releases – Mainstream Hit Songs Being Released and Their Release Dates ... . All Access . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151112015605/http://www.allaccess.com/top40-mainstream/future-releases . November 12, 2015 .
  24. Web site: The Weeknd Picks Next Singles From 'Beauty Behind The Madness'. Navjosh. Hip Hop N More. November 15, 2015. March 24, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304191919/http://hiphop-n-more.com/2015/11/the-weeknd-next-single-acquainted-from-beauty-behind-the-madness/. March 4, 2016.
  25. Web site: Top 40/R Future Releases. All Access. All Access Group. March 24, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160215225031/http://www.allaccess.com/top40-rhythmic/future-releases. February 15, 2016.
  26. Web site: Herd. Mackenzie. August 31, 2015. The Weeknd Beauty Behind the Madness. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160611063507/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/weeknd-beauty_behind_madness. June 11, 2016. August 29, 2016. Exclaim!.
  27. Web site: Andy Gill. The Weeknd, Beauty Behind the Madness – album review. The Independent. September 4, 2015. August 29, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160529081832/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/the-weeknd-beauty-behind-the-madness-album-review-10486802.html. May 29, 2016.
  28. The Weeknd Set for Big No. 1 Debut on Billboard 200 Albums Chart. Billboard. August 31, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150907032445/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6678889/weeknd-number-1-debut-billboard-200-chart. September 7, 2015.
  29. Web site: The Weeknd's "Beauty Behind The Madness" First Week Sales Are In. HNHH . September 4, 2015 . September 6, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150905060102/http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/the-weeknds-beauty-behind-the-madness-first-week-sales-are-in-news.17417.html. September 5, 2015.
  30. The Weeknd Spends Second Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart. Billboard. September 12, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150915235205/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6693353/the-weeknd-second-week-no-1-billboard-200-albums. September 15, 2015.
  31. The Weeknd Spends A Third Consecutive Week Atop The Albums Chart. Billboard. September 22, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170805113032/https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2015/09/22/the-weeknd-spends-a-third-consecutive-week-atop-the-albums-chart/. August 5, 2017.
  32. Web site: THE WEEKND REMAINS IN BILLBOARD TOP 10 FOR 21ST WEEK AFTER OSCAR BOOST. Inquisitr. January 25, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160202205449/http://www.inquisitr.com/2738292/the-weeknd-remains-in-billboard-top-10-for-21st-week-after-oscar-boost/. February 2, 2016.
  33. Adele, Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth Lead 2015 Global Albums and Digital Song Rankings . Billboard . April 9, 2016 . April 9, 2016 . Dan Rys . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160411110758/http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7326412/adele-wiz-khalifa-charlie-puth-ifpi-2015-global-albums-digital-songs . April 11, 2016 .
  34. Caulfield. Keith. Billboard 200 Chart Moves: The Weeknd & Halsey Earn 100 Straight Weeks on the Chart With 'Beauty' & 'Badlands'. Billboard. August 3, 2017. August 4, 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170804054559/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7889899/billboard-200-chart-moves-the-weeknd-halsey. August 4, 2017.
  35. Web site: Drake crowned most streamed artist on Spotify in 2015. The Guardian. December 1, 2015. April 1, 2023. December 1, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201201050832/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/dec/01/drake-most-streamed-artist-spotify-2015. live.
  36. Web site: Drake is Spotify's most-streamed artist of 2016. BBC News. Savage. Mark. December 1, 2016. April 1, 2023. December 1, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201201050832/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-38148606. live.
  37. Beauty Behind the Madness. The Weeknd. 2015. CD liner notes. Republic Records. 50330-5.
  38. Web site: Official IFPI Charts – Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Week: 47/2016) . . https://web.archive.org/web/20161205213205/http://www.ifpi.gr/charts_en.html . December 5, 2016 . live . December 10, 2016.
  39. Web site: http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/554419/products/1165638/1/ . ja:ビューティー・ビハインド・ザ・マッドネス~スペシャル・プライス盤 ザ・ウィークエンド . Beauty Behind the Madness – Special Price Edition The Weeknd . ja . . December 24, 2016 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20161224061904/http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/554419/products/1165638/1/ . December 24, 2016 .
  40. Web site: Slovak Albums – Top 100. ČNS IFPI. April 8, 2022. May 6, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190506182715/http://hitparada.ifpicr.cz/. live. Note: On the chart page, select SK - Albums - Top 100 under the left field and "201711" on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data.
  41. Web site: ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Dance Albums 2015 . . January 6, 2016 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160112063600/http://www.aria.com.au/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-100-albums-2015.htm . January 12, 2016.
  42. Web site: ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Urban Albums 2015 . Australian Recording Industry Association . January 6, 2016 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160229040342/http://www.aria.com.au/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-urban-albums-2015.htm . February 29, 2016.
  43. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2015 – Albums . nl . Ultratop. Hung Medien . December 26, 2015 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160310120835/http://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=2015&cat=a . March 10, 2016.
  44. Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2015 . Billboard . December 26, 2015 . May 6, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180506210709/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2015/top-canadian-albums . live .
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