The Weeknd now ties Rihanna for second-most DIAMOND-certified singles in Recording Industry Association (RIAA) history with 7, behind Post Malone.
The Canadian singer earned two RIAA Diamond certifications on Thursday June 20, 2024 for the global smashes ”Die For You” and ”Save Your Tears.”
“Die For You,” the seventh single from The Weeknd’s third studio album Starboy (2016), was released on September 19, 2017. Recorded in 2016 at several studios, including Conway and Westlake Beverly in Los Angeles, Matza Ball Studio in New York, and The Treehouse X in Suffolk, the song saw a resurgence in popularity in 2022, six years after its release due to TikTok. This renewed interest helped the track peak at No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Billboard Radio songs chart.
Although not credited with the new Diamond Certification, On February 24, 2023, a remix featuring Ariana Grande was released, included in the deluxe edition of Starboy which gave the song further popularity in the US.
This remix propelled the song to number one on the Hot 100, marking the seventh number-one single for both artists. The remix also peaked at number two on the Billboard Global 200 and the Canadian Hot 100. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) reported the remix as the fourth best-selling global single of 2023, with 1.78 billion subscription streams equivalents globally.
“Save Your Tears” is his fourth and final single from his fourth studio album, After Hours(2020). Co-written and produced by The Weeknd, it was released to Dutch contemporary hit radio on August 9, 2020.
Max Martin and Oscar Holter, are the other writers with additional writing credits to Belly and DaHeala. The solo version peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100. A remix featuring Ariana Grande, released on April 23, 2021, propelled the song to number one on the Hot 100, marking the sixth number-one single for both artists. This achievement made After Hours the first album since Drake’s Scorpion (2018) to have three singles reach number one.
“Save Your Tears” was the best-selling global single of 2021, with 2.15 billion subscription streams equivalents worldwide, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). The song and its remix peaked at number one in 18 countries and reached the top ten in 33 others. In Canada, the remix topped the Canadian Hot 100, becoming the sixth chart-topper for both The Weeknd and Grande. The remix also reached number one on the Billboard Global 200, marking The Weeknd’s first and Grande’s second number-one single on the chart.
His other RIAA Diamond records include “Blinding Lights,” “Can’t Feel My Face,” “Earned It,” “The Hills,” and “Starboy.” The latter two have surpassed 11 million in combined streamed and sales units in the US.
The artists with the most RIAA Diamond singles in history are led by Post Malone, who has an impressive nine Diamond singles. Following him are Rihanna and The Weeknd, each with seven Diamond singles. Bruno Mars and Drake both have six Diamond singles to their names. Katy Perry, Imagine Dragons, and Justin Bieber have each achieved four Diamond singles. The Chainsmokers, Ed Sheeran, Cardi B, Eminem, Lady Gaga, and Maroon 5 all have three Diamond singles each. Artists with two Diamond singles include Kanye West, Swae Lee, Florida Georgia Line, Ludacris, Nicki Minaj, Michael Jackson, Halsey, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Twenty One Pilots, XXXTENTACION, Pharrell Williams, Jay-Z, and Pitbull.
On Thursday, The Weeknd also earned Platinum certifications for “Popular,” featuring Playboi Carti and Madonna and is released under XO Records and Republic Records fo sales surpassing 1 million units combined streams and sales. “One of the Girls,” with Jennie and Lily Rose Depp reached Platinum status making Jennie the first female K-Pop artist (solo or group) to earn a Platinum single.
The former YG Entertainment artist shared a snippet of a rap song in a new Beats By Dre earbuds promo on June 20, “they didn’t want it but we came out of history like justice. Taken for granted, taken as hostage, carried the baggage, carried the past us, they didn’t plan for women to women up.”
