Parent company Universal Music Group Genre R&B
PBR&B
pop Parent organization Universal Music Group Founder The Weeknd Founded 2012 | Distributor(s) Republic Records Official website theweeknd.com Location Toronto, Ontario Country of origin Canada | |
XO is a Canadian record label founded by The Weeknd in 2012, owned by Universal Music Group and distributed through Republic Records.
Contents
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 distribution deal with The Weeknd in which Republic would manufacture and distribute any albums XO releases.
Belly and Derek Wise signed onto the label in 2015, followed by Nav in 2016.
Discography
The label has officially released five studio albums, and one compilation album. Unofficially, the label has released three mixtapes.