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Abel Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known by his stage name The Weeknd, is an Ethiopan-Canadian recording artist and record producer. He was born in Scarborough, Ontario. In late 2010, Tesfaye uploaded several songs to YouTube under the name "The Weeknd", though his identity was initially unknown. In 2011, he released three nine-track mixtapes: House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence, which were critically acclaimed. In 2012, he released a compilation album, Trilogy, consisting of remastered versions of the mixtape material and three additional songs. It was released under Universal Republic Records, and his own label XO.

The Weeknd has received praise from several music publications, including Pitchfork, MTV, BET, Rolling Stone, XXL and The Source, who have dubbed him the "songbird of his generation" and the "best musical talent since Michael Jackson" (John Norris, MTV).

Career

2010–11: Mixtapes

In December 2010, Abel Tesfaye uploaded three songs, "What You Need," "Loft Music," and "The Morning", to YouTube under the name "The Weeknd", though his identity was initially unknown. He released the nine-track mixtape House of Balloons for free on 21 March 2011 through his website. House of Balloons was met with universal critical acclaim.

Fellow Toronto based artist Drake has been partly credited for generating public awareness for The Weeknd, after he quoted a line from the track "Wicked Games" via Twitter and linked to The Weeknd's music on his website.

In June, House of Balloons was named as one of ten shortlisted nominees of 2011 Polaris Music Prize but eventually lost to Arcade Fire's The Suburbs. In July, The Weeknd embarked on a tour and delivered his first performance at the Mod Club in Toronto. The hour-and-a-half long performance created buzz about him. His next performance took place at Toronto’s Molson Canadian Amphitheatre. He collaborated with rapper Drake and appeared as one of the special guests to Drake’s 2nd Annual OVO Fest on July 31, 2011. That same month, the song "High for This" was featured in the promo for the final season of the HBO show Entourage. During the summer, the press noted that The Weeknd refused to participate in interviews and chose to only communicate via Twitter.

Thursday was released on August 18, 2011, as a free digital download from the Weeknd's website, and was well received by critics. Rapper Drake contributes guest vocals to track "The Zone". Thursday was produced in Toronto, Ontario with the help of Doc McKinney and Illangelo. The Weeknd's third mixtape, titled Echoes of Silence, was released on December 21, 2011. It was described as Tesfaye's most lyrically powerful and emotional mixtape to date. All three mixtapes garnered him critical acclaim and a growing fanbase. House of Balloons was named the #1 album of 2011 by Complex, beating both Drake's Take Care and Watch the Throne by Jay-Z and Kanye West.

2012–present: Trilogy

In April 2012, The Weeknd began his US tour by performing at the Coachella Festival. He and his band visited various major cities, and culminated in New York, where two sold-out shows were positively reviewed by Rolling Stone. Tesfaye and his tour band continued in major European festivals, including the Primavera Sound Festivals in Spain and Portugal, and also did an exclusive concert in London on June 7, 2012 at the Wilton Music Hall. Wireless Festival in London, plus concerts in Paris and Brussels. At his debut UK show in London, he covered Michael Jackson's Dirty Diana in front of an audience which included Kate Perry and Florence Welch. In June, it was reported that the Balloons Trilogy had been downloaded 8 million times and that it would be formally released later in the year.

The Weeknd's compilation album Trilogy was issued in November, consisting of remastered versions of the mixtapes and three additional songs. It was released under Universal Republic Records to whom he recently signed, and his own label XO. He released the video for "Rolling Stone" (from Thursday) on 3 October 2012, later releasing that of "Wicked Games" (from House of Balloons) on October 18. Both physical and digital copies of Trilogy include a bonus music video for "The Zone". The digital booklet included exclusive XO artwork and designs. "Enemy" was released on 25 October 2012 for additional promotion, but was not included on Trilogy. On 9 December 2012, the BBC announced that The Weeknd he had been nominated for the Sound of 2013 poll. In March 2013, he will be on tour in the UK: he will give concerts in Glasglow, Manchester, Birmingham and London.

Artistry

The Weeknd's songs are built around a fogged, crepuscular production, slow tempos, and his keening, falsetto vocals. He worked mostly with producers Illangelo and Doc McKinney, whom Pitchfork Media's Ian Cohen credits with developing "a state-of-the-art R&B template" with the Weeknd. His emotional, plaintive lyrics often express feelings of hurt and deal with subject matter such as drugs, sex, and pleasure. Hermoine Hoby of The Guardian characterizes the Weeknd's songs as "narcotised-slow jams" and delineates their message as "partying is an existential experience, sex is fraught with alienation, and everything registers as unreal and unsettling." The Guardian's Paul MacInnes interprets the Weeknd's trilogy of mixtapes as "a rough trajectory of party, after-party and hangover". Music journalists associate the Weeknd with PBR&B, an emerging wave of recording artists whose music expands on the sound and sensibility of R&B. Allmusic's Andy Kellman categorizes him as an "alternative R&B act".

Prior to his major label deal, the Weeknd witheld his identity and maintained an enigmatic, shadowy persona while releasing his mixtapes online under the name "the Weeknd". On social media outlets such as Twitter, he suffixed his name with "xo", an emoticon for "a hug and a kiss".

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Mixtapes

Singles

As lead artist

As featured artist

Awards and nominations

References

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14. ^ Ramirez, Erika (2011-03-21). "Say Hello To The Weeknd, Drake Co-Signs". MTV. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
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16. Fennessey, Sean (2011-03-23). "Love vs. Money: The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, and R&B's Future Shock". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2011-03-29. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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18. Escobedo Shepherd, Julianne (2011-03-23). "Love and Other Drugs: The Weeknd's Altered-State R&B". WNET. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
19. "The 2011 Shortlist|Polaris Music Prize"
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56. Sirius XM, (2012-01-26). "2012 Winners/Nominees" . Sirius XM. Retrieved 2012-03-28

External links

• Official website
• Template:Official blog
• "How The Weeknd became R&B’s next big thing" by The Globe and Mail

v t e The Weeknd
Discography Videography Songs Awards and nominations
Studio albums	Kiss Land (2013) Beauty Behind the Madness (2015) Starboy (2016) After Hours (2020) Dawn FM (2022) Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025)
Mixtapes	House of Balloons (2011) Thursday (2011) Echoes of Silence (2011)
EPs	My Dear Melancholy (2018) After Hours (Remixes) (2020) The Dawn FM Experience (2022) Music from The Idol (2023)
Compilation albums	Trilogy (2012) The Weeknd in Japan (2018) The Highlights (2021)
Live albums	Live at SoFi Stadium (2023)
Tours and shows	King of the Fall Tour The Madness Fall Tour Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour The Weeknd Asia Tour Super Bowl LV halftime show After Hours til Dawn Tour
See also	XO Memento Mori The Idol Heart on My Sleeve Hurry Up Tomorrow
Category

Template:Persondata

• 1990 births
• Living people
• Canadian male singers
• Canadian rhythm and blues singers
• Canadian soul singers
• Musicians from Toronto
• Canadian people of Ethiopian descent