XO (record label)
XO (also known as XO Records)[1][2] is a Canadian record label co-founded by singer The Weeknd, his creative director La Mar Taylor and his manager Amir "Cash" Esmailian.[3][4] Wassim "Sal" Slaiby serves as CEO.[5] As of 2012, it operates as a subsidiary of, and is distributed through, Universal Music Group's Republic Records.[6] The label's current acts include The Weeknd, Belly, Nav, and Black Atlass. The label has had six projects debut at number one on the Billboard 200: Beauty Behind The Madness, Starboy, My Dear Melancholy, Bad Habits, After Hours and Good Intentions, with the latter two both achieving this in the first half of 2020.
| XO | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parent company | Universal Music Group |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | |
| Distributor(s) | Republic Records |
| Genre | |
| Country of origin | Canada |
History
XO was created by Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd, as an unofficial imprint to release three mixtapes in 2011. The three releases, House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence, helped grow the singer's profile, and began promoting the "XO" moniker through various on-stage performances and references within songs. The Weeknd also began conducting advertising deals via the label to multiple outlets, namely collaborating with PAX Labs to release a limited edition version of the PAX 2 vaporizer, an electronic cigarette that could be used in shows during The Madness Fall Tour.[8]
Upon securing a major recording contract with Republic Records in 2012, XO was also assumed as a subsidiary of Republic, and also acted as the distributors and manufacturers of any music created by XO. Belly was signed as the label's first artist in 2015, and Derek Wise was signed later that year. Nav was signed by the label in 2016. Upon entering classification as a subsidiary, the label has released seven projects by their artists (discluding The Weeknd).
On February 8, 2018, Montreal-born singer Black Atlass released a new song, "My Life", distributed by XO Records.[9] Black Atlass had previously appeared alongside The Weeknd in his "Secrets" music video and in some ads involving the Puma x XO collections that dropped in 2017.[10]
XO signed 88Glam in 2018,[11] following the independent release of their self-titled mixtape.[12] 88Glam departed from XO in 2020.[13]
Roster
Current acts
| Act | Year signed |
Releases under the label |
|---|---|---|
| The Weeknd | 2012 | 10 |
| Belly | 2015 | 5 |
| Nav | 2016 | 5 |
| Black Atlass | 2018 | 2 |
Former acts
| Act | Year signed |
Releases under the label |
|---|---|---|
| 88Glam | 2018–2020 | 2 |
In-house producers
Discography
The label has officially released eleven studio albums, two EPs, and two compilation albums. Unofficially, the label has released eleven mixtapes.
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | The Weeknd – Kiss Land |
|
| 2015 | The Weeknd – Beauty Behind the Madness
|
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| 2016 | The Weeknd – Starboy
|
|
| 2018 | Nav – Reckless
|
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Black Atlass – Pain and Pleasure
|
| |
Belly – Immigrant
|
| |
88Glam – 88Glam2
|
| |
| 2019 | Nav – Bad Habits
|
|
| 2020 | The Weeknd – After Hours
|
|
Black Atlass – Dream Awake[19]
|
| |
Nav – Good Intentions[20]
|
| |
EPs
| Year | EP details | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | The Weeknd – My Dear Melancholy,
|
|
| 2019 | Nav – Brown Boy[21]
|
Compilation albums
| Year | Album details | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | The Weeknd – Trilogy
|
|
| 2018 | The Weeknd – The Weeknd in Japan
|
|
Mixtapes
| Year | Album details |
|---|---|
| 2011 | The Weeknd – House of Balloons
|
The Weeknd – Thursday
| |
The Weeknd – Echoes of Silence
| |
| 2015 | Belly – Up For Days
|
| 2016 | Belly – Another Day in Paradise
|
Belly – Inzombia
| |
| 2017 | Nav – Nav
|
Nav and Metro Boomin – Perfect Timing
| |
Belly – Mumble Rap
| |
88Glam – 88Glam
| |
| 2020 | Nav – Brown Boy 2
|
References
- "Who Is Signed To XO? Dissecting The Weeknd's Canadian Collective". Umusic. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- "The Weeknd (@theweeknd)". Instagram. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
- Bliss, Karen. "Meet The Weeknd's Managers: Amir 'Cash' Esmailian and Tony Sal on Breaking Through, Top Influences and More". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
- Klich, Tanya. "The Weeknd And Forbes Under 30 Alum La Mar Taylor Launch Hxouse, An Incubator For Toronto's Emerging Artists". Forbes. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
- "XO Records CEO Wassim 'SAL' Slaiby Cancels Annual Birthday Party Due to California Wildfires". Billboard. November 15, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
- "Republic Records". universalmusic.com. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
- Keating, Lauren. "The Weeknd Launches A Vape That Plays His Hit Single 'The Hills' As You Smoke". Tech Times. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- Goddard, Kevin. "Did The Weeknd Sign R&B Singer Black Atlass To XO Records?". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
- Marsh, Ryan. "The Weeknd signs Black Atlass to XO Records". Rap Wave. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
- "88GLAM ANNOUNCE FIRST HEADLINING CANADIAN TOUR". Umusic. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
- Berry, Peter. "88GLAM SIGN TO XO RECORDS, DROP '88GLAM: RELOADED' PROJECT". XXL. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
- Gheciu, Alex Nino. "88GLAM Talk 'New Mania,' Leaving XO, and That 'Independent Flex'". Complex. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
- Mori, Memento. "Memento Mori Ep.6". Apple Music. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
- "Kiss Land by The Weeknd on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
- "Beauty Behind the Madness by The Weeknd on iTunes". iTunes Store. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
- Lynch, John (September 22, 2016). "The Weeknd released a new single with Daft Punk and revealed a release date for his album". Business Insider. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
- "Pain & Pleasure by Black Atlass on Apple Music". iTunes Store. Retrieved July 12, 2018.
- "Black Atlass Announces 'Dream Awake' Album". exclaim.ca. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- "NAV ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM 'GOOD INTENTIONS'". Rap-Up. April 27, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- Giulione, Bianca (March 14, 2019). "NAV's 'Brown Boy' EP Surprise Released by Cash XO". Highsnobiety. Retrieved March 16, 2019.