The Weeknd makes history with seven diamond singles and platinum hits

Canadian artist achieves milestone with RIAA certifications for 'Save Your Tears,' 'Die For You,' and 'Popular.'

The Weeknd has set a new benchmark in the music industry by becoming the first Canadian artist to achieve seven diamond-certified singles. 

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) awarded diamond certifications to his hits “Save Your Tears” and “Die For You,” signifying over 10 million equivalent units sold for each. 

This accomplishment makes him the fourth artist overall to reach this milestone.

In addition to these diamond accolades, The Weeknd's collaboration with Madonna and Playboi Carti, “Popular,” has been certified platinum by the RIAA.

Platinum certification recognizes 1 million units in the U.S., encompassing permanent downloads and on-demand streams.

Released on June 2, 2023, “Popular” served as the second single from the scrapped soundtrack album The Idol, Vol. 1, associated with The Weeknd's HBO series The Idol. 

The song's official music video debuted during Fortnite Festival's Season 1, highlighting The Weeknd's takeover of the event. 

“Popular” peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 14 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Madonna's involvement in “Popular” has added to her illustrious career, making her one of the few artists to have Hot 100-charting hits in five distinct decades. 

Her previous platinum hit was the 2008 collaboration with Justin Timberlake, “4 Minutes.” Additionally, her 1986 single “Papa Don’t Preach” was recently certified platinum.

Reflecting on the collaboration, The Weeknd told Apple Music 1’s Zane Lowe, “We had a different version of this song prior, so I’ve had these vocals for a while and I’ve kind of worked around it and then kind of kept it in the tuck. But now, it was time. And it felt right. [Madonna is] the ultimate co-sign for this song, for this album, and for this TV show.”

Joining the ranks of Rihanna and Post Malone, The Weeknd now stands as one of only three artists with seven diamond singles. Post Malone holds the record with nine diamond-certified tracks.

Moreover, The Weeknd's 2023 hit “One of the Girls,” featuring BLACKPINK’s Jennie and Lily-Rose Depp, also received platinum certification. 

This accolade marks Jennie as the first female K-pop solo artist to earn an RIAA platinum single and signifies Depp’s first platinum achievement.