The Weeknd’s EP ‘My Dear Melancholy,’ Debuts No. 1

The Weeknd lands his third No. 1 in a row on the Billboard 200 albums chart with his project, My Dear Melancholy.

The surprise release, which arrived on March 30 via XO/Republic Records, moved 169,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 5, according to Nielsen Music — the biggest week for an R&B album in over a year, since his own last album. Of that sum, 68,000 were in traditional album sales.

The six-song album appeared with little warning, following a cryptic Instagram post on March 27, which led to a confirmation of an album two days later. My Dear Melancholy follows The Weeknd’s two previous No. 1s: 2016’s Starboy and 2015’s Beauty Behind the Madness.