The Weeknd has scored a new diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His 2015 single “Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey),” has officially sold 10 million equivalent units.
“Earned It” marks The Weeknd’s fifth RIAA diamond-certified single, following “The Hills,” “Starboy” featuring Daft Punk, “Blinding Lights” and “Can’t Feel My Face.”
The Weeknd’s latest RIAA award makes him the fourth artist to collect five or more diamond certifications.
The Oscar-nominated single, lifted from the Fifty Shades Of Grey Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, also appeared on The Weeknd’s sophomore album, Beauty Behind The Madness.
“Earned It” peaked at No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult R&B Airplay chart during the week of May 30, 2015, and spent 13 weeks at the top.
Beauty Behind The Madness debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and spend three weeks at the top of the summit. The album landed The Weeknd two trophies at the 58th Grammy Awards, including Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best R&B Performance (“Earned It”).
In December 2022, Beauty Behind The Madness was certified 6x multi-platinum by the RIAA for selling six million equivalent units. It’s The Weeknd’s highest-certified album to date; second in line is 2016’s Starboy, which is 4x multi-platinum.
Speaking of Starboy, The Weeknd recently released a live video for the fan-favorite “Die For You,” which has seen a recent resurgence. (The song is No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 at the time of publication.)
The performance video was filmed at his concert at So-Fi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The four-minute clip is just a snippet of what to expect from his HBO special, “The Weeknd: Live at SoFi Stadium,” which premieres Saturday, Feb. 25, at 8 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
The concert was taped during the first U.S. leg of The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn Tour, which supported his two albums After Hours (2020) and Dawn FM (2022).
The Weeknd hinted that the upcoming concert special will mark the end of his Dawn FM era. “HBO concert will be the last piece of Dawn FM. i can see the horizon …,” he tweeted.
HBO concert will be the last piece of Dawn FM. i can see the horizon …
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) February 18, 2023
This summer, The Weeknd will kick off the second leg of his After Hours Til Dawn Tour. He will play in shows in Europe and Latin America territories. The After Hours Til Dawn Tour concludes Oct. 15 in Santiago, Chile.
The Weeknd is keeping himself busy outside of music, as well. He teamed up with HBO and HBO Max for a new series, The Idol, which they dub “the sleaziest love story in all of Hollywood.” The show, starring Lily-Rose Depp, is slated to arrive sometime this year.
Stream “Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey)” by The Weeknd below.
