Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer who is known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism. In 2012, he anonymously uploaded several songs to YouTube under the name The Weeknd, which were local hits but did not initially garner mainstream attention. In 2013, he released three nine-track mixtapes—House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence—to critical acclaim.
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His early life
Abel Makkonen was born on 16 February 1990, in Scarborough, Ontario. His family was from Ethiopia originally. He dropped out of high school at 17 to pursue his music career under his stage name The Weeknd
Early in his career
In February 2010, Tesfaye anonymously uploaded several songs to YouTube under the name The Weeknd. He released three nine-track mixtapes throughout 2011: House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence, which were critically acclaimed. In 2012, he released a compilation album Trilogy which consisted of remastered versions of the mixtape material and three additional songs. It was released under Republic Records and his own label XO. In 2013, he released his debut studio album Kiss Land.
Collaboration with Drake
The Weeknd has collaborated with Canadian recording artist Drake on several songs. Their first collaboration was on Drake’s song Crew Love, which was released as part of his 2011 mixtape Club Paradise. The following year, they worked together on Take Care, released as part of Drake’s second studio album of the same name. Most recently they have worked together on The Weeknd’s song The Zone from his album Kiss Land which also features a verse from Drake.
His home in Toronto
He spent part of his childhood in Rexdale, Toronto. In his youth he lived with his grandmother who raised him while his parents were at work. During adolescence he began experimenting with drugs as well as pursuing musical interests in West Indian culture and discovered artists such as Michael Jackson, Terence Trent D’Arby and Stevie Wonder who influenced him when developing his style; they later become two of his biggest musical influences.
Awards and nominations
He has been nominated for six Grammy Awards and won three Juno Awards. In 2015, Earned It from the soundtrack to Fifty Shades of Grey earned him two Grammy nominations for Record of The Year and Song of The Year. His critically acclaimed third studio album, Beauty Behind The Madness (2015), became his first number one on Billboard 200.
Musical style and influences
While he began his career covering songs in small venues around Toronto, he soon came to be noticed by Republic Records and later signed with them. His debut album Kiss Land was released in 2013 as a part of their partnership with Universal Music Group’s XO label. The albums following were supported by various successful singles such as Kiss Land, Earned It, The Hills , Can’t Feel My Face among others.
- Born: 16 February 1990 (age 32 years), Toronto, Canada
- Full name: Abel Makkonen Tesfaye
- Movies and TV shows: Uncut Gems,
- Parents: Samra Tesfaye, Makkonen Tesfaye
Can’t Feel My Face (2015)
The song became his first number one on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Hot 100. In June 2015, Tesfaye signed with Republic Records in a joint deal with his own imprint label XO. The following month he released Can’t Feel My Face, which reached number one on several charts worldwide and became his first top 10 single on the US Billboard Hot 100. He released his third album Starboy in November 2016 which reached number one in Canada, France, Netherlands and Norway
Kiss Land (2013)
Kiss Land (stylized as kløΣΣ land) is the debut studio album by Canadian singer The Weeknd. The album was released on September 10, 2013, by Republic Records and XO. The album features production from DannyBoyStyles, Illangelo, Benny Blanco and Doc McKinney.
Trilogy (2012)
The first of three free mixtapes released by Canadian recording artist The Weeknd. It was self-released on March 26, 2012. On May 8, 2013, it was reissued for retail sale under Republic Records and XO. Trilogy received generally positive reviews from critics upon release. It debuted at number six on Billboard 200; selling 74,000 copies in its first week. As of December 2016, Trilogy has sold 692,000 copies in United States.
House of Balloons (2011)
In late 2010, Tesfaye anonymously uploaded several songs to YouTube under the name The Weeknd. The songs drew attention online through word of mouth, including a blog featuring The Weeknd songs. In 2011 he released three nine-track mixtapes: House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence , which were critically acclaimed. The following year he released a compilation album Trilogy , thirty tracks consisting of remastered versions of the mixtape material and three additional songs.
Q. & A.
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye better known by his stage name The Weeknd was born on 16 February 1990 in Scarborough, Ontario. He has been making music since he was 13 years old. As an independent artist at that time he released two mixtapes: House of Balloons and Thursday (2011). Later Abel signed to Republic Records with label’s head L.A. Reid being his mentor throughout his early career.
Why is The Weeknd so popular?
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, known professionally as The Weeknd (pronounced the weekend), is a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved mainstream success with his 2012 mixtape House of Balloons. After releasing three critically acclaimed mixtapes and two albums in five years, The Weeknd has earned seven Grammy nominations for his work. In 2015 he won Best Urban Contemporary Album at the Grammys for Beauty Behind The Madness.
Is The Weeknd Over Selena Gomez?
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (known by his stage name The Weeknd) recently sent fans into overdrive after posting an Instagram picture of Selena Gomez eating leftovers of his birthday cake. Now there are rumors that he has dumped Selena for another woman. Read to find out more about The Weeknd.
What is weeknd’s most famous song?
The Hills (2012) has achieved chart success worldwide; it peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for three consecutive weeks. It was later certified double platinum in Canada, platinum in New Zealand, triple platinum in Australia and gold in both the United Kingdom and France. The accompanying music video became YouTube’s most watched video of 2012.
Why was weekend Cancelled?
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, known professionally as The Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer. He was born in Toronto and raised in Scarborough. He graduated from West Hill Collegiate Institute in 2006. His stage name was inspired by his high school dropout status (weekend being a common euphemism for dropping out). However, he has stated that it has nothing to do with cannabis culture. Smoke ’em if you got ’em, he said.
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