The Weeknd

The Weeknd, stage name for Abel Makkaonen Tesfaye is a popular Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. His career started when he anonymously uploaded several of his songs to YouTube under the name “The Weeknd” in 2010. He credits his stage name “The Weeknd” as being inspired by his high school dropout status, claiming “after [he] left one weekend and never came home”. The Weeknd released his debut album, Kiss Land in 2013. As of December 2019, he has released 3 studio albums, 3 mixtapes, 2 compilation albums, and 1 EP. As a musician, he has sold over 70 million records in the US only.

His top-charted hit singles are, “Can’t Feel My Face”, “Starboy”, “Blinding Lights”, “The Hills”, “Earned It”, “I Feel It Coming”, “Pray for Me”, and “Call Out My Name”.

What is The Weeknd Famous For?

• His songs are “built around a fogged, crepuscular production”, and feature slow tempos.
• His emotional, plaintive lyrics often express feelings of hurt and deal with subject matter such as sex.

Where was The Weeknd Born?

The Weeknd was born on 16 February 1990. His birth name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye. His birth place is in Toronto, Ontario in Canada. He holds Canadian nationality. He was born to Ethiopian parents, Makkonen and Samra Tesfaye. His parents immigrated to Canada in the late 1980s. He grew up in the district of Scarborough. He is the only child. His father abandoned the family when he was very young. He was raised by his grandmother and mother. His zodiac sign is Aquarius.

The Weeknd describes his teenage life as the film “Kids without the AIDS” and stated he started smoking marijuana at the age of 11. Later, he got indulged in harder drugs. He even shoplifted to buy drugs.

The Weeknd attended West Hill Collegiate Institute and Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute in Scarborough. However, he did not graduate. He left college in 2007.  He eventually left his home as well. He moved to the Parkdale neighborhood of Toronto.

The Weeknd Music Career Timeline

The Weeknd grew up listening to a variety of music genres, including soul, hip-hop, funk, indie rock, and post-punk.

His musical career began after he met producer Jeremy Rose in 2010. The two collaborated and produced three songs, “What You Need”, “Loft Music”, and “The Morning”. The Weeknd uploaded these songs on YouTube under his stage name. The songs drew some media attention. Drake included the story in a blog post.

The Weeknd debut mixtape, House of Balloons received critical acclaim and was also named as one of ten shortlisted nominees for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize.

Drake noticed The Weeknd during a tour of Toronto and described a potential musical collaboration with him. The Weeknd then got a chance to accompany Drake at his various shows and contributed to Drake’s Take Care as a writer and a featured artist.

The Weeknd released three mixtapes in 2011, collectively named as the Balloons Trilogy. Following his potential career, The Weeknd received offers from various record labels.

The Weeknd toured in the United States and Europe.

He signed with Republic Records with his own imprint XO in September 2012.

He released his mixtapes compiled album titled Trilogy in late 2012 and charted at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200, debuted at number five on the Canadian Albums Chart, and was later certified platinum by the RIAA and double-platinum by Music Canada in May 2013.

The Weeknd released his debut studio album, Kiss Land in September 2013. The album debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 and received positive reviews from music critics.

He appeared on the 20/20 Experience World Tour along with Justin Timberlake for six shows and contributed “Devil May Cry” for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in 2013.

He released his second studio album, Beauty Behind the Madness in August 2015. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. It reached the top 10 in over ten countries, as well as reached number one in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Norway. The album became the most streamed album throughout 2015.

He became the first male artist to have simultaneously held the top three spots on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart in September 2015. His three singles

He released his third studio album, Starboy in November 2016.

The Weeknd announced 25 November 2016 as the release date of his third album Starboy. Several artists like Daft Punk, Lana Del Rey, French Montana, and Lamar were featured in his songs from the third album. His album won the Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.

He released the extended play, My Dear Melancholy in June 2018.

He released his second compilation album, The Weeknd in Japan in November 2018.

He released his title track from his upcoming fourth studio album, After Hours in February 2020. The album is scheduled to release in March 2020.

Who is The Weeknd Dating?

The Weeknd started dating model Bella Hadid in early 2015. She appeared with The Weeknd in his “In the Night” music video as well. The couple also made a red carpet appearance at the 2016 Grammy Awards. It was reported in November 2016 that the couple had split. The Weeknd then reportedly dated Selena Gomez between January 2017 and October 2017. While together, the couple lived together temporarily in Greenwich Village, New York in September 2017.  The Weeknd reconciled with Hadid in early 2018. They once again split in 2019.

The Weeknd started taking drugs at a very young age. He stated that the drugs helped him to write music. The Weeknd was arrested and sentenced for 50 hours of community service for punching a Las Vegas police officer in January 2015.

What Awards has The Weeknd Won?

The Weeknd has won three Grammy Awards, eight Billboard Music Awards, two American Music Awards, nine Juno Awards, and has been nominated for one Academy Award.

How Tall is The Weeknd?

The Weeknd stands at a height of 1.69 m i.e.. 5 feet and 6 inches tall. He has a body weight of 165.5 lbs i.e. 75 kg. He has an average body build. He has dark brown eyes and dishwater squirrel brown hair.

What is The Weeknd Net Worth?

The Weeknd earns from his career in the music industry. His income comes from record sales, contracts, concerts, tours, and endorsements. He has already sold over $70 million records in the United States.

Besides music, he has also ventured into several business. He has endorsed condom producing company ONE and electronic cigarette producing company Pax Labs. He partnered with Puma as their Global Brand Ambassador in 2016. Through Puma, he released T-shirts, caps, sweatpants, bomber jackets, and shoes. He started his own merchandise, XO in 2017. He collaborated with H&M in 2017. He had a limited edition pop up sale for the “Starboy 2017 Limited Capsule Collection” in May 2017.

He partnered with Marvel to promote on Instagram in October 2017. A Starboy comic book was released in June 2018. The title character, a superhero, was modeled after him. He bought the ownership is esports company, OverActive Media Group in April 2019. He serves as the global ambassador of the company.

Summing up his music ventures and business ventures, his net worth is estimated at $90 million.