The Weeknd

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer. His discography has received widespread critical praise for its musical versatility and dark lyricism, mainly inspired by personal experiences, that explores themes such as escapism, romance and melancholia. He has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including three Grammy Awards, six American Music Awards, nineteen Billboard Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, fifteen Juno Awards, and an Academy Award nomination.Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Tesfaye began his recording career in 2009 by anonymously releasing music on YouTube. Two years later, he co-founded the XO record label and released the critically acclaimed mixtapes House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence. He quickly earned a following and recognition from several mainstream publications due to his gloomy style of contemporary and alternative R&B, and the mystique surrounding his identity. In 2012, Tesfaye signed with Republic Records and re-released the mixtapes in the compilation album Trilogy. His debut studio album Kiss Land was released in 2013, which saw him experiment with dark wave. His chamber pop and R&B single “Earned It”, from the soundtrack to the film Fifty Shades of Grey (2015), won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.Tesfaye gained major critical and commercial success with his second studio album Beauty Behind the Madness (2015). It topped the US Billboard 200 and was among the best-selling albums of that year. With the chart-topping singles “Can’t Feel My Face” and “The Hills”, Beauty Behind the Madness won the Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album and was nominated for Album of the Year. His third studio album Starboy (2016) was a similar commercial success and included the number-one single of the same name. Starboy also won the Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album. Tesfaye ventured into new wave and dream pop with his fourth studio album After Hours (2020), supported by the singles “Heartless”, “Blinding Lights” and “Save Your Tears”.Often regarded as an influential figure in contemporary popular music, Tesfaye is one the world’s best-selling musical artists, having sold over 75 million records worldwide. He is also one of the most-streamed artists of all-time and one of the most-listened to artists on Spotify. Among his Billboard chart records, he is the first artist to simultaneously hold the top three spots on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart with “Can’t Feel My Face”, “Earned It” and “The Hills”. He has earned six Hot 100 number-one songs so far, including “Blinding Lights”, the longest-charting song in the chart’s history. In 2020, Tesfaye was listed by Time as one of the world’s most influential people.