**Abel Makkonen Tesfaye** (born February 16, 1990), known by the stage name t**he Weeknd**, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer. The Weeknd was born in Scarborough, Ontario. He is a Canadian citizen of Ethiopian descent. He performs a mixture of R&B, rock and hip hop. On March 6, 2011, the rapper Drake spoke about the Weeknd as a new artist on Twitter, He did this to increase the curiosity of the public.

Early life
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Abel Makkonen Tesfaye was born on February 16, 1990, in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, to parents Samra and Makkonen. 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
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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.[*source?*]

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.

Discography
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|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Studio albums
* *House of Balloons* (2011)
* *Thursday* (2011)
* *Echoes of Silence* (2011)
* *Beauty Behind the Madness* (2015)
* *Starboy* (2016)

  | EPs
* *My Dear Melancholy,* (2018)

Re-releases
* *Trilogy* (2012)
 |

Awards and nominations
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### Grammy Awards

Tesfaye has won three Grammy Awards from eight nominations.

| Year | Award | Work | Status | Ref. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2016 | Record of the Year | "Can't Feel My Face" | Nominated |  |
| Best Pop Solo Performance | Nominated |
| Best Urban Contemporary Album | *Beauty Behind the Madness* | Won |
| Album of the Year | Nominated |
| Best R&B Performance | "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)" | Won |
| Best R&B Song | Nominated |
| Best Song Written for Visual Media | Nominated |
| 2018 | Best Urban Contemporary Album | *Starboy* | Won |  |

Personal life
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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.