XO (record label)
| XO | |
|---|---|
|
Official XO Logo | |
| Parent company | Universal Music Group |
| Founded | September 11, 2012[1] |
| Founder | The Weeknd |
| Distributor(s) | Republic Records |
| Genre | |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario |
| Official website |
theweeknd |
XO is a Canadian record label founded by The Weeknd in 2012, owned by Universal Music Group and distributed through Republic Records.
Background
XO, although labeled mainly as a record label, is not necessarily just that. Besides being used as a label, Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd) also refers to it as the name of his clique, his friends and close associates.
History
XO was unofficially started by Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd in 2011. Under the then unofficial label he released three critically acclaimed mixtapes: House of Balloons on 21 March, Thursday on 18 August and Echoes of Silence on 21 December. Although the label was created in 2011, it did not have any major label backing and was technically an imprint.
In 2012, Republic Records signed a a distribution deal with The Weeknd in which Republic would manufacture and distribute any albums XO releases.
Belly signed onto the label in 2015, followed by Nav in 2016.
Crew and members
Artists
| Act | Year signed |
Releases under the label |
|---|---|---|
| The Weeknd | 2012 (Founder) | 4 |
| Belly | 2015 | 1 |
| Nav | 2016 | |
| Derek Wise | 2016 |
Discography
The label has officially released five studio albums, and one compilation album. Unofficially, the label has released three mixtapes.
Studio albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2013 | The Weeknd – Kiss Land
|
| 2015 | The Weeknd – Beauty Behind the Madness
|
| 2016 | Belly - Inzombia
▪ Released: November 11, 2016 ▪ Label: XO, Roc Nation ▪ Formats: digital download |
| 2016 | The Weeknd – Starboy
|
Compilation albums
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2012 | The Weeknd – Trilogy
|
Mixtapes
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2011 | The Weeknd – House of Balloons
|
The Weeknd – Thursday
| |
The Weeknd – Echoes of Silence
|
References
- ↑ http://www.thefader.com/2012/09/11/the-weeknd-signs-to-a-major-label/
- ↑ "Kiss Land by The Weeknd on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
- ↑ "Beauty Behind the Madness by The Weeknd on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
- ↑ "The Weeknd released a new single with Daft Punk and revealed a release date for his album". Business Insider. Retrieved 12 October 2016.