Abel Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known by his stage name The Weeknd, is a Canadian PBR&B[1] recording artist and record producer. 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.[2] In 2012, he released a compilation album, Trilogy, consisting of remastered versions of the mixtape material and three additional songs. It was released under Republic Records[3][better source needed] and his own label XO. In 2013, he released his debut studio album Kiss Land, which was supported by the singles "Kiss Land", and "Live For".
The Weeknd has received praise from several music publications, including Pitchfork,[4] MTV,[5] BET,[6] Rolling Stone,[7] XXL[8] and The Source.[9] MTV's John Norris has dubbed him the "songbird of his generation" and the "best musical talent since Michael Jackson"
The Weeknd was born Abel Tesfaye in Scarborough, Ontario,[11] on February 16, 1990.[12] He is of Ethiopian descent.[11] He grew up listening to a variety of music genres, including soul, quiet storm, hip hop, funk, indie rock, and post-punk.[13] Because Tesfaye's father was never around when he was growing up, and his mother was constantly working, his grandma took care of him most of his young life. Because of this, Abel speaks fluent Amharic; it was the first language he learned.[14]
Tesfaye says he adopted the stage name, "The Weeknd," after dropping out of high school at the age of 17 and, along with a fellow crew-member, "left one weekend and never came home." The spelling was modified to avoid copyright issues with a Canadian band already named "The Weekend".[
