After Hours (The Weeknd album)

After Hours
Standard cover
Studio album by the Weeknd
Released	March 20, 2020 (2020-03-20)
Recorded	2018–2020
Studio	Conway (Los Angeles) Elysian Park (Los Angeles) Henson (Los Angeles) Republic (Los Angeles) House Mouse (Stockholm) Jungle City (New York City) Malibu Blue (Malibu) MXM (Los Angeles and Stockholm) Noble Street (Toronto) XO (Hidden Hills)
Genre	R&B new wave synthwave synth-pop electropop dream pop
Length	56:19
Label	XO Republic
Producer	DaHeala Illangelo Kevin Parker Max Martin Metro Boomin Notinbed OPN Oscar Holter Prince 85 Ricky Reed The Weeknd
The Weeknd chronology
The Weeknd in Japan (2018) After Hours (2020) The Highlights (2021)
Singles from After Hours
"Heartless" Released: November 27, 2019 "Blinding Lights" Released: November 29, 2019 "After Hours" Released: February 25, 2020 "In Your Eyes" Released: March 24, 2020 "Save Your Tears" Released: August 9, 2020

After Hours is the fourth studio album by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. It was released on March 20, 2020, by XO and Republic Records. Primarily produced by the Weeknd, it features a variety of producers, including DaHeala, Illangelo, Max Martin, Metro Boomin, and OPN, most of whom the Weeknd had worked with previously. The standard edition of the album has no features, but the deluxe edition features Ariana Grande and the remixes edition contains guest appearances from Chromatics and Lil Uzi Vert. Thematically, After Hours explores loneliness, self-loathing, and escapism.

Prior to the album's release, the Weeknd confirmed that After Hours would contrast stylistically with its predecessor, Starboy (2016). Music journalists have noted the album as an artistic reinvention for the Weeknd, with the introduction of new wave and dream pop influences. The album's title is borrowed from the 1985 film of the same name, while the artwork was inspired by various other films.

After Hours was supported by five singles: "Heartless", "Blinding Lights", the title track, "In Your Eyes", and "Save Your Tears". The former two and the latter reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The album received positive reviews; some critics named it the Weeknd's best work. It debuted atop the Billboard 200, marking the Weeknd's fourth number-one album in the US, and stayed atop the chart for four consecutive weeks. After Hours also reached the top spot in 20 other countries, including his native Canada and the United Kingdom. As of December 2022, the album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Due to tour delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Weeknd completed his fifth studio album, Dawn FM, released in early 2022, before launching a tour to support both releases.

Background and release

The Weeknd first teased that he was working on a new album during a performance in November 2018, telling the crowd that "Chapter VI was coming soon". He continued to tease the project on January 12, 2019, by tweeting "no more daytime music". His post made fans and media outlets believe that he would continue the darker sounds that were present in his first EP My Dear Melancholy (2018). The Weeknd further teased the album on August 6, by tweeting "album mode full effect".

After a five-month period of silence, the Weeknd revealed a snippet of the album's second single "Blinding Lights" through a Mercedes-Benz commercial. The next day, he teased the album's lead single "Heartless", which was released on November 27, 2019; "Blinding Lights" was released two days later. In the hours leading up to the release of "Heartless", the Weeknd took to social media to tease the album's era, posting "the fall starts tomorrow night" and "Tonight we start a new brain melting psychotic chapter! Let's go!"

On February 13, 2020, the Weeknd revealed the album's title through a short teaser. On February 19, he revealed the album's artwork and release date, and released its title track as a promotional single. On March 17, the Weeknd unveiled After Hours' tracklist. Hours before the album was released, the Weeknd announced that After Hours was dedicated to longtime fan Lance, the host of the XO Podcast who died the night before. On its release day, the album premiered on the eighth episode of the Weeknd's Apple Music 1 radio show Memento Mori. At the same time, the Weeknd hosted a listening session on Spotify. A deluxe edition of the album, containing five remixes, was surprise released on March 23, 2020. An updated deluxe edition, containing three additional tracks, was released on March 30. A remix EP, featuring the deluxe edition's remixes and an additional remix, was released on April 3.

Composition

Musically, After Hours has been described as R&B, new wave, synth-pop, synthwave, electropop, and dream pop. The album also contains elements of electro, electro house, trap, drum and bass, liquid funk, and synth-rock. Lyrically, After Hours explores themes of heartbreak, escapism, loneliness, promiscuity, overindulgence, self-loathing and regret.

When asked about the reason behind the album's title, the Weeknd explained to Variety: "Oh, there are so many reasons for it. The main reason is these are all emotions and thoughts and feelings that I had late at night – [like the video] is all one night and I’m going through all the emotions, after the club, after the fight and after a long day, it's like these are my thoughts from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m."

Artwork and aesthetic

The artwork and aesthetic for the album's promotional material has been described as psychedelic and being inspired by various films, such as: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998), Joker (2019), Casino (1995), and Uncut Gems (2019), with the last film having a cameo appearance by the Weeknd himself. The title of the album was inspired by the 1985 movie of the same name by Martin Scorsese. The Weeknd's physical appearance in the era has been described by journalists as being red-pigmented, with him consistently maintaining a red suit and specific hairstyle throughout all of the album's promotional material, such as its artwork, music videos, teasers, and live performances, with its music videos and live performances used to create a mini story. The album's overall art direction was primarily handled by the Tammi brothers, with its design being handled by Aleksi Tammi. The album's creative direction was handled by the Weeknd's creative director and childhood friend La Mar Taylor.

Promotion

Singles

On November 27, 2019, the album's lead single, "Heartless", was released digitally on music stores and streaming services. The song was noticeably produced by American record producer Metro Boomin. At the time of its release, it was the Weeknd's first solo single since 2018's "Call Out My Name" from the EP My Dear Melancholy (2018). The single peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and became the Weeknd's fourth song to top the chart, with it also becoming Metro Boomin's second chart topper that he produced. Its music video was released on December 3, 2019.

"Blinding Lights" was released digitally on music stores and streaming services on November 29, 2019, as the album's second single. The song peaked at number one in 22 countries, including the United States and Canada, where it became the Weeknd's fifth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Canadian Hot 100 for four and seven weeks respectively. It also became his first number-one single in Germany for ten weeks, United Kingdom for eight weeks, and Australia for eleven weeks, thus making it his biggest hit single to date. Its music video was released on January 21, 2020. It would later become the Billboard No. 1 Song of All Time in 2021.

The album's title track was released as a promotional single on February 19, 2020. The song was later sent to US rhythmic radio on February 25, 2020, as the album's third single.

"In Your Eyes" was released to rhythmic contemporary radio on March 24, 2020, as the album's third single. The song peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its music video was released on March 23, 2020.

"Save Your Tears" was released to contemporary hit radio in Europe as the album's fourth single on August 9, 2020. It was later released to US rhythmic contemporary radio on November 24, 2020. Following the remix with Ariana Grande, the song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video for the song was released on January 5, 2021.

Performances

On December 5, 2019, the Weeknd performed "Heartless" for the first time on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert with "Blinding Lights" receiving its debut performance the following day on the same show. Both performances received positive reactions from critics and audiences, and were compared to those done by Michael Jackson and Prince in the past. On January 22, 2020, the Weeknd performed "Blinding Lights" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. His appearance during the performance on the show was inspired by the events that occurred within the aforementioned single's music video, which was released shortly before his live performance. For his performance on the March 7, 2020, episode of Saturday Night Live, He performed a comedic track alongside Kenan Thompson and Chris Redd, made specifically for the show, titled "On the Couch", and the songs: "Blinding Lights" and the previously unreleased "Scared to Live", the latter of which featured electronic musician Oneohtrix Point Never and interpolates "Your Song" by Elton John.

Throughout 2020, various other performances of the album's songs occurred during major televised events like the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, the 2020 Time 100 primetime event, the American Music Awards of 2020.

Teaser and short film

On February 13, 2020, the Weeknd released a 48-second teaser that announced the album's title. Journalists noted its resemblance to the digital work done in the 2019 film Uncut Gems, which he had a cameo in.

The After Hours logo

A self titled short film for the album was first teased on March 3, 2020, with its release occurring on March 4, 2020. It was directed by Anton Tammi and continued the storyline and aesthetics found in the visuals for "Heartless" and "Blinding Lights". The film is set shortly after the Weeknd's performance of "Blinding Lights" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (dated January 22, 2020) and features various snippets of the tracks from the album as he navigates a subway. It concludes with the Weeknd seemingly murdering a couple in a secluded elevator. The visual was noted by journalists as being inspired by the films Joker and The Shining. In an interview to Variety in 2020, the Weeknd said that films such as Chinatown, Jacobs Ladder, King of Comedy, Trouble Every Day, Possession, Dressed to Kill and After Hours are referred in the short film.

Promotional singles and other songs

On February 18, 2020, the Weeknd announced the release of the album's title track with the reveal of the album's cover art. The promotional single reached the top 20 of various countries worldwide, including the United States, where it peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

On April 7, 2020, a music video for the album's closing track "Until I Bleed Out" was released. On July 22, 2020, a music video for the album's fifth track "Snowchild" was released. On October 22, 2020, a music video for the album's second track "Too Late" was released.

Tour

Main article: After Hours til Dawn Tour

On February 20, 2020, the Weeknd announced the After Hours Tour, set to span North America and Europe. The tour would have originally lasted throughout the latter half of 2020, beginning on June 11 and ending on November 12. The tour was later postponed to 2021, then to 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sabrina Claudio, Don Toliver and Black Atlass were set to open the tour.

On October 18, 2021, the Weeknd announced that due to arena constraints, the start of tour would be pushed back to the summer of 2022 and would now be held entirely in stadiums. He also announced that the tour would now be called the After Hours til Dawn Stadium Tour, as it also supports his fifth studio album Dawn FM (2022).

Super Bowl LV halftime show

Main article: Super Bowl LV halftime show

On November 12, 2020, the Weeknd announced that he would be performing during the Super Bowl LV halftime show. The event took place on February 7, 2021. Dave Meyers executive produced the show, while Roc Nation produced and creatively directed. Hamish Hamilton, the event's annual director since 2010, returned to direct the performance.

Critical reception

After Hours ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.7/10
Metacritic	80/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Consequence	A−
Evening Standard
Exclaim!	8/10
The Guardian
The Independent
NME
Pitchfork	7.9/10
PopMatters	8/10
Rolling Stone

After Hours was met with positive reviews from contemporary critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 80, based on 20 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.7 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.

In a rave review, The New York Times journalist Jon Caramanica complimented After Hours for its "sparkled trauma, kaleidoscopic emotional confusion, urgent and panting physical release paired with failed-state romantic dyspepsia". Writing for Consequence, Candace McDuffie stated that as the Weeknd evolves, "he continues to reinvent himself, and he knows exactly how to leave fans hooked on havoc", and After Hours proves that he is "not done with us yet; in fact, he's just getting started". Exclaim! reviewer Jacob Carey stated that "After Hours does feel like the Weeknd's very own version of Vegas – a place where overindulgence, self-loathing and promiscuity are not only welcomed, but encouraged". The Guardian's Michael Cragg praised the "sense of narrative cohesion" on the album, saying that its songs "bleed into each other", with the Weeknd exploring new sonic influences. He added that After Hours "feels like the first Weeknd album in a while to offer up a clear, singular vision rather than something frustratingly abstract". Writing for The Independent, Roisin O'Connor stated that the album eschews the danceability of its predecessor for "moody introspection", and called it "the music you listen to when the party's over". O'Connor further compared the album to the Weeknd's previous releases, saying that After Hours "still delves into a sadboy persona but there's a tinge of remorse that runs through, in comparison to the cold and often cruel tone of earlier cuts". Luke Morgan Britton of NME called it the Weeknd's "strongest record in some time", free of featured artists and "full of probing self-reflection".

Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone wrote that After Hours "has its share of pity-partying", but also displays vulnerability that "goes beyond the usual too-beautiful-for-the-world sulking". Dolan explained that the album strikes the best balance between the "gloomy melodrama" of the Weeknd's early EPs or his 2018 release My Dear Melancholy and the "pop slickness" of his 2016 album, Starboy, at once lachrymose and sleek, cold but plush, like a lavishly ornamented fallout shelter. Writing for Variety, Jem Aswad branded After Hours the "most fully realized album" of the Weeknd's career. He characterized the album's musical style as "ultra-cinematic keyboards, pulsating sub-bass, hard beats (which are seldom danceable), '80s synthesizer flourishes and caverns of echo, all of which contrast with his high, angelic voice". Aswad concluded that the album tests the balance "between innovation and commerciality as much as anyone today". In less favourable reviews, David Smyth of Evening Standard particularly praised the track "Blinding Lights", but found the Weeknd to be "in a bit of a fug" on the rest of After Hours. Tom Hull rated the album a B grade, finding it "remarkably consistent, at least until the closer drags its butt".

Year-end lists

Select year-end rankings of After Hours

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Billboard	The 50 Best Albums of 2020	3
Complex	The Best Albums of 2020	1
Entertainment Weekly	The 15 Best Albums of 2020	2
Exclaim!	Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2020	26
NME	The 50 Best Albums of 2020	29
Rolling Stone	The 50 Best Albums of 2020	32
Slant Magazine	The 50 Best Albums of 2020	9
Uproxx	The Best Albums of 2020	10
	The Best R&B Albums of 2020	2
Us Weekly	10 Best Albums of 2020	8
Variety	The Best Albums of 2020	4

Industry awards

Awards and nominations for After Hours

Year	Ceremony	Category	Result	Ref.
2020	American Music Awards	Favorite Album – Pop/Rock	Nominated
		Favorite Album – Soul/R&B	Won
	ARIA Music Awards	Best International Artist (After Hours)	Nominated
	LOS40 Music Awards	International Album of the Year	Nominated
	People's Choice Awards	The Album of 2020	Nominated
	Polaris Music Prize	Polaris Music Prize	Longlisted
	Soul Train Music Awards	Album of the Year	Nominated
2021	BET Awards	Album of the Year	Nominated
	Billboard Music Awards	Top Billboard 200 Album	Nominated
		Top R&B Album	Won
	Juno Awards	Album of the Year	Won
		Contemporary R&B/Soul Recording of the Year	Won
	TEC Awards	Outstanding Creative Achievement – Record Production/Album	Nominated

Commercial performance

On March 19, 2020, After Hours broke the record for the most global pre-adds for an album in Apple Music history, with over 1.02 million users pre-adding the album to their libraries. It was the second most-streamed album of 2020 on Spotify.

After Hours debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 444,000 album-equivalent units, which included 275,000 pure album sales. It is the Weeknd's fourth number-one album, and marks the biggest first week sales of 2020 for an album at the time. Additionally, after the album's first week of availability, all 14 songs charted on the US Billboard Hot 100, with ten of them in the top 40, led by "Blinding Lights" at number one, and "In Your Eyes" debuting the highest, at number 16. The album remained at number one on the Billboard 200 in its second week with 138,000 album-equivalent units, of which 47,000 were pure album sales. It is the Weeknd's third consecutive album to top the chart for multiple weeks. In its third week, the album remained at number one on the Billboard 200 with 90,000 album-equivalent units (including 23,000 pure album sales). Becoming the first album to lead for three consecutive weeks since Post Malone's Hollywood's Bleeding (2019). In its fourth week, After Hours earned 75,000 album-equivalent units (including 20,000 pure album sales), remaining at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. It's the first album to notch four consecutive weeks since Drake's Scorpion (2018). After Hours was the fourth best selling album of 2020 with 2.032 million album-equivalent units, including 480,000 pure copies in the US. In 2021, After Hours was the tenth best selling album of the year in the United States, moved 1,281,000 album-equivalent units, including 99,000 pure copies.

On December 6, 2022, After Hours was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for earning over three million album-equivalent units in the US.

The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with over 26,000 units sold, making it the Weeknd's second number one on the chart, five years after Beauty Behind the Madness. It also topped the Canadian Albums Chart of the Weeknd's home country, generating 54,000 album-equivalent units, which marked the biggest first-week album sales of the year. It achieved a total of six non-consecutive weeks atop the chart, the most by a Canadian artist since the Weeknd's own Starboy, which led the chart for seven weeks in 2016–2017.

Grammy controversy

Despite the major critical success of After Hours, the Weeknd did not receive any nominations for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. On November 24, 2020, he responded by calling the Grammys "corrupt" in social media posts, announcing the cancellation of his scheduled live performance at the ceremony. Speculation arose over whether the announcement of his then-upcoming Super Bowl performance, as well as the confusion as to whether he should be nominated as pop or R&B, contributed to the snubs in all the categories he was submitted to by his team. Harvey Mason Jr., interim president of the Recording Academy, responded to the backlash by saying:

We understand that The Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathize with what he's feeling. His music this year was excellent, and his contributions to the music community and broader world are worthy of everyone's admiration. We were thrilled when we found out he would be performing at the upcoming Super Bowl and we would have loved to have him also perform on the Grammy stage the weekend before. Unfortunately, every year, there are fewer nominations than the number of deserving artists. But as the only peer-voted music award, we will continue to recognize and celebrate excellence in music while shining a light on the many amazing artists that make up our global community. To be clear, voting in all categories ended well before The Weeknd's performance at the Super Bowl was announced, so in no way could it have affected the nomination process. All Grammy nominees are recognized by the voting body for their excellence, and we congratulate them all.

The Weeknd later remarked in an interview with Billboard that the snub felt like "an attack", asserting: "Look, I personally don't care anymore. I have three GRAMMYs, which mean nothing to me now, obviously [...] It's not like, 'Oh, I want the GRAMMY!' It's just that this happened, and I'm down to get in front of the fire, as long as it never happens again. I suck at giving speeches anyways. Forget awards shows." Despite the Recording Academy announcing the elimination of private nominating committees, the Weeknd said that moving forward with his career, he will prevent his record label from submitting his work for Grammy consideration.

Track listing

After Hours standard edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Alone Again"	Abel Tesfaye Jason Quenneville Carlo Montagnese Adam Feeney	The Weeknd Illangelo DaHeala Frank Dukes[a]	4:10
2.	"Too Late"	Tesfaye Quenneville Montagnese Eric Burton Frederic	The Weeknd Illangelo Ricky Reed DaHeala Nate Mercereau[b]	3:59
3.	"Hardest to Love"	Tesfaye Max Martin Oscar Holter	The Weeknd Martin Holter	3:31
4.	"Scared to Live"	Tesfaye Ahmad Balshe Martin Holter Daniel Lopatin Elton John Bernard Taupin	The Weeknd Martin Holter	3:11
5.	"Snowchild"	Tesfaye Quenneville Balshe Montagnese	The Weeknd Illangelo DaHeala	4:07
6.	"Escape from LA"	Tesfaye Montagnese Leland Tyler Wayne Mike McTaggart	The Weeknd Metro Boomin Illangelo	5:55
7.	"Heartless"	Tesfaye Wayne Montagnese Andre Proctor	The Weeknd Metro Boomin Illangelo Dre Moon[a]	3:18
8.	"Faith"	Tesfaye Balshe Montagnese Wayne	The Weeknd Metro Boomin Illangelo	4:43
9.	"Blinding Lights"	Tesfaye Balshe Quenneville Martin Holter	The Weeknd Martin Holter	3:20
10.	"In Your Eyes"	Tesfaye Balshe Martin Holter	The Weeknd Martin Holter	3:57
11.	"Save Your Tears"	Tesfaye Balshe Quenneville Martin Holter	The Weeknd Martin Holter	3:35
12.	"Repeat After Me (Interlude)"	Tesfaye Kevin Parker Lopatin	Parker OPN	3:15
13.	"After Hours"	Tesfaye Quenneville Balshe Montagnese Mario Winans	The Weeknd Illangelo DaHeala Winans[b]	6:01
14.	"Until I Bleed Out"	Tesfaye Wayne Lopatin Mejdi Rhars Notinbed	The Weeknd Metro Boomin OPN Prince 85 Notinbed	3:10
Total length:				56:19

Deluxe edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
15.	"Nothing Compares"	Tesfaye Balshe Quenneville Frederic	The Weeknd DaHeala Ricky Reed	3:42
16.	"Missed You"	Tesfaye Quenneville	The Weeknd DaHeala	2:24
17.	"Final Lullaby"	Tesfaye Quenneville	The Weeknd DaHeala	3:05
18.	"Save Your Tears" (Remix) (with Ariana Grande)	Tesfaye Balshe Quenneville Martin Holter Ariana Grande	The Weeknd Martin Holter Grande[c]	3:11
Total length:				68:41

Japanese deluxe edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
18.	"In Your Eyes" (Remix) (featuring Doja Cat)	Tesfaye Balshe Martin Holter Amala Dlamini	The Weeknd Martin Holter	3:57
19.	"Blinding Lights" (Chromatics Remix)	Tesfaye Quenneville Martin Holter Nathaniel Stanton Miller John David Padgett	Johnny Jewel	4:21
Total length:				73:49

Remixes EP

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Remixer	Length
1.	"Heartless" (Remix) (featuring Lil Uzi Vert)	Tesfaye Wayne Montagnese Proctor Symere Woods		3:20
2.	"Blinding Lights" (Chromatics Remix) (featuring Chromatics)	Tesfaye Quenneville Martin Holter Miller Padgett	Johnny Jewel	4:21
3.	"Save Your Tears" (OPN Remix)	Tesfaye Balshe Quenneville Martin Holter Lopatin	OPN	3:40
4.	"Heartless" (Vapor Wave Remix) (featuring Lil Uzi Vert)	Tesfaye Wayne Montagnese Proctor Symere Woods Quenneville	DaHeala	2:45
5.	"After Hours" (The Blaze Remix)	Tesfaye Quenneville Balshe Montagnese Winans Guillaume Alric Jonathan Alric	The Blaze	3:58
6.	"Scared to Live" (SNL Live)	Tesfaye Balshe Martin Holter Lopatin John Taupin		3:37
Total length:				21:43

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer
• ^{^[b]} signifies an additional producer
• ^{^[c]} signifies an uncredited co-producer
• The deluxe edition of the album was initially released on March 23, featuring tracks 2–6 of the Remixes EP as bonus tracks. On March 30, the release was updated to include three new bonus tracks before the remixes. On April 3, the remixes were released as a separate EP, with track 1 added, while the deluxe edition of the album was amended to end at "Final Lullaby".
• "Save Your Tears" Remix with Ariana Grande was added to the deluxe edition of the album in March 2022.

Sample credits

• "Scared to Live" contains interpolations from "Your Song", written by Elton John and Bernard Taupin.

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

Musicians

• The Weeknd – vocals (all tracks), background vocalist (tracks 3–4, 9–11), keyboards, programming (tracks 1–11, 13–14), bass, guitar, drums (tracks 3–4, 9–11)
• Max Martin – bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, programming (tracks 3–4, 9–11)
• Oscar Holter – bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, programming (tracks 3–4, 9–11)
• Illangelo – keyboards, programming (tracks 1–2, 5–8, 13)
• Metro Boomin – keyboards, programming (track 6–8, 14)
• DaHeala – keyboards, programming (tracks 1–2, 5, 13)
• Frank Dukes – keyboards, programming (track 1)
• Ricky Reed – keyboards, programming (track 2)
• OPN – keyboards, programming (track 14)
• Prince 85 – keyboards, programming (track 14)
• Notinbed – keyboards, programming (track 14)
• Nate Mercereau – keyboards, programming (track 2)
• Mike McTaggart – guitar (track 6)
• Patrick Greenaway – guitar (track 8)
• Rickard Goransson – guitar (track 10)
• Michael Engström – bass (track 10)
• Wojtek Goral – alto saxophone (track 10)
• Tomas Jonsson – tenor saxophone (track 10)
• Mattias Bylund – horn arrangement, synthesizer (track 10)
• Nils-Petter Ankarblom – horn arrangement, synthesizer (track 10)
• Magnus Sjolander – percussion (track 10)
• Miko Rezler – percussion (track 10)
• Peter Noos Johansson – trombone (track 10)
• Janne Bjerger – trumpet (track 10)
• Magnus Johansson – trumpet (track 10)

Technical

• Illangelo – engineering, mixing (tracks 1–2, 5–8, 13)
• Shin Kamiyama – engineering (all tracks)
• Michael Ilbert – engineering (track 4, 10–11)
• Sam Holland – engineering (tracks 3–4, 10–11)
• Jason "DaHeala" Quenneville – engineering (track 13)
• Ethan Shumaker – engineering (track 2)
• Matt Cohn – engineering, mixing (tracks 12, 14)
• Şerban Ghenea – mixing (tracks 3–4, 9–11)
• John Hanes – engineering for mixing (tracks 3–4, 9–11)
• Cory Bice – engineering assistant (tracks 3–4, 9–11)
• Jeremy Lertola – engineering assistant (tracks 3–4, 9–11)
• Sean Klein – engineering assistant (track 9)
• Dave Kutch – mastering
• Kevin Peterson – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart performance for After Hours

Chart (2020)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	1
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)	1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)	1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)	2
Canadian Albums (Billboard)	1
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)	1
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)	1
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	1
Estonian Albums (Eesti Tipp-40)	1
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)	1
French Albums (SNEP)	2
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	5
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)	11
Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn)	1
Irish Albums (OCC)	1
Italian Albums (FIMI)	1
Japan Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)	76
Japanese Albums (Oricon)	41
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)	1
Mexican Albums (AMPROFON)	1
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)	1
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)	1
Polish Albums (ZPAV)	8
Portuguese Albums (AFP)	2
Scottish Albums (OCC)	2
Slovak Albums (ČNS IFPI)	1
South Korean Albums (Gaon)	73
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)	3
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)	1
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)	1
UK Albums (OCC)	1
UK R&B Albums (OCC)	1
US Billboard 200	1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	1

Year-end charts

2020 year-end chart performance for After Hours

Chart (2020)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	9
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)	62
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)	18
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)	44
Canadian Albums (Billboard)	4
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)	9
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)	2
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	2
French Albums (SNEP)	24
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	61
Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn)	4
Irish Albums (IRMA)	34
Italian Albums (FIMI)	20
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)	26
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)	2
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)	54
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)	3
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)	17
UK Albums (OCC)	23
US Billboard 200	8
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	6

2021 year-end chart performance for After Hours

Chart (2021)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	50
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)	29
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)	67
Canadian Albums (Billboard)	17
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)	3
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	11
French Albums (SNEP)	59
Italian Albums (FIMI)	26
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)	4
Polish Albums (ZPAV)	65
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)	45
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)	5
UK Albums (OCC)	63
US Billboard 200	14
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	7

2022 year-end chart performance for After Hours

Chart (2022)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	33
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)	81
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)	132
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)	14
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	18
French Albums (SNEP)	47
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)	15
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)	66
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)	34
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	68

2023 year-end chart performance for After Hours

Chart (2023)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)	32
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)	65
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)	51
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)	63
Canadian Albums (Billboard)	42
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)	24
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	17
French Albums (SNEP)	160
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	63
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)	48
Italian Albums (FIMI)	44
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)	28
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)	89
UK Albums (OCC)	73
US Billboard 200	159
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	48

2024 year-end chart performance of After Hours

Chart (2024)	Position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	59
US Billboard 200	96
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)	32

Certifications

Certifications and sales for After Hours

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)	Platinum	70,000‡
Austria (IFPI Austria)	Gold	7,500‡
Belgium (BEA)	2× Platinum	40,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)	5× Platinum	400,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)	6× Platinum	120,000‡
France (SNEP)	Diamond	500,000‡
Germany (BVMI)	Gold	100,000‡
Iceland (FHF)	Gold	2,500
Italy (FIMI)	3× Platinum	150,000‡
Mexico (AMPROFON)	Gold	30,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)	Platinum	15,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway)	2× Platinum	40,000*
Poland (ZPAV)	Diamond	100,000‡
Portugal (AFP)	Platinum	15,000^
Singapore (RIAS)	Platinum	10,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)	Gold	20,000‡
Sweden (GLF)	2× Platinum	60,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)	Platinum	300,000‡
United States (RIAA)	3× Platinum	3,000,000‡
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for After Hours

Region	Date	Label(s)	Format(s)	Edition	Ref.
Various	March 20, 2020	XO Republic	CD digital download streaming	Standard
	March 23, 2020		Digital download streaming	Original deluxe
	March 30, 2020			Updated deluxe
	April 3, 2020			Remix EP
Japan	May 22, 2020	Universal Music Japan	CD	Standard
Various	June 11, 2020	XO Republic	Cassette
	September 25, 2020		LP
	November 27, 2020			Remix EP
Japan	December 4, 2020	Universal Music Japan	CD	Japanese deluxe

External links

• Album Title (Teaser) on YouTube
• After Hours (Short film) on YouTube