The Weeknd

**Abel Makkonen Tesfaye** (; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as **the Weeknd**, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. Recognized for his unconventional musical production, artistic reinventions, and signature falsetto register, Tesfaye is one of the most innovative and influential artists of his generation.

## Early life

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye was born on February 16, 1990, in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, to parents Makkonen Tesfaye and Samrawit Hailu.  His father left when Abel was young.  His mother worked several jobs and, as a result, was taken care of by his grandmother.  She took Abel to their Ethiopian Orthodox church services.

At age 11, Abel tried marijuana for the first time and moved onto harder drugs.

## Career

On March 21, 2011, the Weeknd released his first mixtape, _House of Balloons_, to public and critical approval. The record contains several successful songs, including "Wicked Games" and "High for This". Also, the title track is based on the hit "Happy House" by Siouxsie and the Banshees. The latter has been recognized by the music magazine Pitchfork. The eclectic music of Tesfaye combines samples of other artists like Beach House and Aaliyah. He also released two other albums the same year, with singles named "Thursday" and "Echoes of Silence". With Drake’s help, he performed the popular song "The Zone".

In addition, the Weeknd gave his first performance in London in June 2012, and was surprised that among the spectators were famous singers like Katy Perry and Florence Welch.  At this first show, he sang a unique interpretation, the reprise of "Dirty Diana" by Michael Jackson. In November 2012, at the age of 22, The Weeknd released _Trilogy_, comprising the last three albums remixed with Universal Music Group. The Recording Industry Association of America certified _Trilogy_ gold in the U.S. shortly after its release. In 2013, he gave a concert in the Trianon Room in Paris. The audience during the presentation consisted mainly of young adults aged between the ages of 17 and 30.

The Weeknd's songs are known for being rhythmic and sensual. In addition, he had the opportunity to start his career singing alongside rapper Wiz Khalifa with the hit "Remember Me". He has also worked with the artists Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Frank Ocean.

The Weeknd's fourth album, _Beauty Behind the Madness_ (2015), spawned the number-one hit singles "Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills", along with the top-three song "Earned It", which was used in the soundtrack for the film adaptation of _Fifty Shades of Grey_.  On September 22, 2016, The Weeknd released a single, "Starboy", which features French electronic duo Daft Punk.  They helped produce the song, and it has topped the _Billboard_ Hot 100 and Canadian Hot 100 charts.  The third and fourth singles, "I Feel It Coming" (also featuring Daft Punk) and "Party Monster", were released on November 18. The Weeknd's fifth studio album, also called _Starboy_, was released on November 25, 2016.  The album entered the US _Billboard_ 200 chart at number one, and all 18 songs entered the _Billboard_ Hot 100.  Only Drake has more entries from one album, with the 20 songs from his album _Views_ entering the chart.

On March 30, 2018, he released the EP, _My Dear Melancholy,_ which contains six songs.  The first track and first single, "Call Out My Name", entered the US _Billboard_ Hot 100 at number four, with the EP entering at the top of the _Billboard_ 200 album chart with 169,000 copies sold and streamed in its first week.

## Personal life

The Weeknd dated American model Bella Hadid from September 2015 until November 2016.

In late 2016, he began dating American singer-actress Selena Gomez. They broke up in late 2017.

## Discography

**Studio albums**
- _Kiss Land_ (2013)
- _Beauty Behind the Madness_ (2015)
- _Starboy_ (2016)
- _After Hours_ (2020)
- _Dawn FM_ (2022)
- _Hurry Up Tomorrow_ (2025)

## Filmography

- _Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall_ (2016)
- _Uncut Gems_ (2019)
- _The Show_ (2021)
- _Live at SoFi Stadium_ (2023)
- _The Idol_ (2023)
- _Hurry Up Tomorrow_ (2025)

## Tours

**Headlining**
- The Fall Tour (2012)
- The Kiss Land Fall Tour (2013)
- King of the Fall Tour (2014)
- The Madness Fall Tour (2015)
- Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour (2017)
- The Weeknd Asia Tour (2018)
- After Hours til Dawn Tour (2022–2025)
**Supporting**
- Florence and the Machine – Ceremonials Tour (2012)
- Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience World Tour (2013)
- Drake – Would You Like a Tour? (2014)

**Current touring members**
- Patrick Greenaway – lead guitar (2012–present), synthesizer (2020–2022)
- Ricky Lewis – drums (2011–present)
- Mike Dean – synthesizer, guitar, bass, keyboards, saxophone (2022, 2023–present)

**Former touring members**
- Nathaniel James – bass, keyboards (2012)
- Ledaris "LJ" Jones – bass, keyboards (2013–2022)

## Infobox (musical artist)

- **embed**: yes


## Infobox (person)

- **name**: The Weeknd
- **image**: The Weeknd Portrait by Brian Ziff.jpg
- **alt**: Tesfaye (the Weeknd), wearing a black suit with a bowtie, and with a neutral expression on his face, averts his gaze from the camera.
- **caption**: Tesfaye in 2021
- **birth name**: Abel Makkonen Tesfaye
- **birth place**: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- **years active**: 2009–present
- **awards**: List of awards and nominations received by the Weeknd, Full list
- **signature**: The Weeknd signature.svg
- **signature size**: 40px