The Weeknd (253662129)

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye ( am, አበል መኮነን ተስፋዬ; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is noted for his unconventional music production, artistic reinventions, and his signature use of the falsetto register. His accolades include 4 Grammy Awards, 20 ''Billboard'' Music Awards, 22 Juno Awards, 6 American Music Awards, 2 MTV Video Music Awards, a Latin Grammy Award, and nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.

Born and raised in Toronto, Tesfaye began his career in 2009 by anonymously releasing music on YouTube. Two years later, he co-founded the XO record label and released the mixtapes ''House of Balloons'', '' Thursday'' and '' Echoes of Silence'', which gained recognition for his style of contemporary and alternative R&B and the mystique surrounding his identity. In 2012, he signed with Republic Records and rereleased the mixtapes in the compilation album '' Trilogy''. He explored dark wave in his debut studio album '' Kiss Land'' (2013), which debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200. After its release, Tesfaye began contributing to film soundtracks, with his acclaimed single " Earned It" from '' Fifty Shades of Grey'' (2015) winning the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance, while also being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Tesfaye earned critical and commercial success with his pop-leaning second album '' Beauty Behind the Madness'' (2015), which reached number one in the US, contained the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart-topping singles " Can't Feel My Face" and " The Hills", and won the Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album and was nominated for Album of the Year. His trap-infused third album '' Starboy'' (2016) saw similar commercial success and included the US number-one single of the same name and " Die for You", and won the Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album. Tesfaye explored new wave and dream pop with his critically-acclaimed fourth studio album '' After Hours'' (2020), which featured the chart record-setting single " Blinding Lights" and the US number-one singles "Heartless" and " Save Your Tears". Dance-pop inspired his fifth album ''Dawn FM'' (2022), which included the US top-ten single "Take My Breath". In 2023, he co-created and starred in the drama series '' The Idol'', which was critically panned.

Among the world's best-selling music artists with over 75 million records sold, Tesfaye holds several streaming and ''Billboard'' chart records. He is the first Canadian artist to earn four diamond-certified singles from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), as well as the first artist to simultaneously hold the top three spots on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. "Blinding Lights" became the most-streamed song in Spotify history and the best-performing song in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100's history, as well as the longest charting song by a solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100. Tesfaye was listed by '' Time'' as one of the world's most influential people in 2020, and was dubbed the "world's most popular artist" by '' Guinness World Records'' in 2023. An advocate for racial equality and food security, he was appointed a World Food Programme Goodwill Ambassador in 2021.

Early life

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye was born on February 16, 1990, in Toronto, Ontario. He is the only child of Ethiopian immigrants Makkonen Tesfaye and Samrawit Hailu, who separated shortly after his birth. He was brought up in the district of Scarborough by his mother and grandmother. He has an estranged relationship with his father, telling '' Rolling Stone'' in 2015 that "I saw him vaguely when I was six, and then again when I was 11 or 12, and he had a new family and kids. I don't even know where he lived — I'd see him for, like, a night. I'm sure he's a great guy. I never judged him. He wasn't abusive, he wasn't an alcoholic, he wasn't an asshole. He just wasn't there."

Tesfaye was raised as an Ethiopian Orthodox. When asked whether or not he was still religious, he stated to '' Variety'' in 2020, "I dunno...everything is a test, and if you are religious or spiritual, you have to go through things." His native language is Amharic, which he learned through his grandmother. He later became fluent in French by attending a French-immersion school. He was further educated at West Hill Collegiate Institute and Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute.

When he was 17, Tesfaye dropped out of school and moved to an apartment in the neighbourhood of Parkdale with two friends; including his best friend and now creative director La Mar Taylor. He has described this period as being like the 1995 film ''Kids'' "without the AIDS", as they lived a hedonistic lifestyle. He has also experienced homelessness and was incarcerated on several occasions during this time, which encouraged him to "smarten up, to focus."

Tesfaye often used drugs and abused illegal substances such as ketamine, cocaine, MDMA, magic mushrooms, and cough syrup. In December 2016, he stated that drugs were a "crutch" for him when it came to writing music. In August 2021, during a cover story with '' GQ'', he described himself as being "sober lite", meaning that he has stopped using drugs with the exception of marijuana. He also noted that he drinks alcohol occasionally, stating: "I'm not a heavy drinker, as much as I used to be. The romance of drinking isn't there."

Career

2009–2011: Early beginnings

In August 2009, Tesfaye began anonymously releasing music on YouTube. The following year, he met Jeremy Rose, a producer who had an idea for a dark contemporary R&B project. After initially trying to pitch the idea to musician Curtis Santiago, Rose played one of his instrumentals for Tesfaye, who freestyle rapped over it. Rose produced three songs – "What You Need", "Loft Music" and "The Party & The After Party" – and others that Tesfaye had sung on, which were ultimately scrapped. Rose let Tesfaye keep the tracks he had produced under the condition that he would be credited for them. In December 2010, Tesfaye uploaded "What You Need", "Loft Music" and " The Morning" to YouTube under the username "xoxxxoooxo". His identity was initially unknown. The songs drew some attention online, and were later included in a blog post from rapper Drake. The songs subsequently received coverage from various media outlets, including ''Pitchfork'' and '' The New York Times''.

Before adopting the stage name the Weeknd, Tesfaye released music under the aliases the Noise and Kin Kane. His current stage name was chosen in tribute to when he dropped out of school, took his mattress, "left one weekend and never came home." However, Rose claims the name was his idea. The last 'e' was excluded to avoid trademark problems with pop rock band the Weekend. In the beginning of his career, Tesfaye worked at American Apparel. Due to his anonymity, his co-workers listened to his music without knowing it was him.

In 2011, Tesfaye met music executives Wassim "Sal" Slaiby and Amir "Cash" Esmailian, with whom, along with Taylor, he founded the XO record label. On March 21, Tesfaye released his debut mixtape ''House of Balloons''. The mixtape included production from producers Illangelo and Doc McKinney, and included the tracks produced by Rose, although he did not receive production credits. ''House of Balloons'' was named as one of ten shortlisted nominees for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize. On August 18, Tesfaye released his second mixtape '' Thursday'', which received generally positive reviews. His third mixtape, '' Echoes of Silence'', was released on December 21. It was a longlisted nominee for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize