Claim: The Weeknd is Canadian.

The Weeknd -LRB- born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye ; February 16 , 1990 -RRB- is a Canadian singer , songwriter , and record producer . The Weeknd initially gained recognition after anonymously uploading several songs to YouTube in late 2010 . This allowed him to release of his debut mixtape , House of Balloons , in early 2011 . He released two further independent projects later that year , Thursday and Echoes of Silence , before signing to Republic Records in September 2012 .   The three mixtapes received widespread critical acclaim upon release , and proceeded the release of the compilation album Trilogy . In 2013 , he released his debut studio album Kiss Land , which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 . It was later confirmed to have sold over 273,000 copies in the United States .   The Weeknd released his second album , Beauty Behind the Madness , in 2015 , breaking chart records in the process . It saw him become the first ever artist to have simultaneously held the top three spots on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart , with `` Earned It '' , `` The Hills '' , and `` Ca n't Feel My Face '' . It also became his first number one album on the US Billboard 200 , and saw triple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America -LRB- RIAA -RRB- . The album additionally oversaw his first Grammy Award win for Best Urban Contemporary Album , as well as `` Earned It '' winning Best R&B Performance . He won both awards at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in 2016 .   He released his third studio album , Starboy , in 2016 to generally positive critical reception . The album 's title track topped the chart in several countries , including the U.S. , the UK and Canada , and became The Weeknd 's third number-one single . It gave him his second consecutive number one album , which also later saw platinum certification .   Alongside his Grammy Award wins , The Weeknd has won nine Juno Awards and two American Music Awards . He has also founded the record label XO , and is a producer under both his given and stage names .