On 21 March 2011, Tesfaye released the nine-track mixtape House of Balloons for free through his website. They subsequently received coverage from outlets such as Pitchfork Media and The New York Times.
The songs drew attention online through word of mouth, including a blog featuring the songs posted by rapper Drake, who also helped generate interest in The Weeknd. However, in December 2010, Tesfaye uploaded "What You Need", "Loft Music", and "The Morning" to YouTube under the name "The Weeknd", though his identity was initially unknown. Rose let Tesfaye keep the tracks he had produced under the condition that he would ultimately be credited for them. He produced three songs – "What You Need", "Loft Music", and "The Morning" – and others that Tesfaye rapped on, which Rose ultimately scrapped. After trying to pitch the idea to musician Curtis Santiago, Rose played one of his instrumentals for Tesfaye, who freestyled over it, and they began working on an album. Tesfaye met producer Jeremy Rose, who had an idea for a dark R&B musical project called "The Weeknd". Career 2010–11: Career beginnings and mixtapes File:WeekndOVOFest (cropped).jpg The spelling was modified to avoid trademark issues with the Canadian band The Weekend, although producer Jeremy Rose claims the name was his idea. He has credited devising his stage name following dropping out of high school in 2007, adopting the name "The Weeknd" after he and a friend "left one weekend and never came home". He started smoking marijuana at age 11, and later moved on to hard drugs. She would also take him to services at an Ethiopian Orthodox church. This allowed for him to become fluent in Amharic, with the Semitic language acting as his first language. His father later abandoned the family, prompting his maternal grandmother to care for him while he was young. During his youth, his mother would work several jobs to supplement the family, often as a nurse and caterer, while also attending night school. He was raised in Scarborough, a diversely multicultural neighborhood within the city. He is the only child of Makkonen and Samra Tesfaye, who were Ethiopian migrants to Canada in the 1980s. 2.1 2010–11: Career beginnings and mixtapesĪbel Makkonen Tesfaye was born on 16 February 1990, in Scarborough, Ontario, a district of Toronto.In September 2016, the release of the third album, Starboy was announced, along with the release of the single " Starboy". The Weeknd has won two Grammy Awards and has been nominated for an Academy Award. The songs have simultaneously held the top three spots on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart, making him the first artist in history to achieve this. His second album, Beauty Behind the Madness, which became his first number one album on the US Billboard 200, included the top-three single " Earned It" and produced the number-one singles " The Hills" and " Can't Feel My Face". In 2013, he released his debut studio album Kiss Land, which was supported by the singles " Kiss Land" and " Live For". It was released under Republic Records and his own label XO. The following year, he released a compilation album Trilogy, thirty tracks consisting of the remastered mixtapes and three additional songs. He released three nine-track mixtapes throughout 2011: House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence, which were critically acclaimed.
In late 2010, Tesfaye anonymously uploaded several songs to YouTube under the name "The Weeknd". Related: Future And The Weeknd Drop ‘Comin Out Strong’ Videoīut the video is generating buzz for its stunning visuals - thanks to Spanish director Pedro Martin-Calero - and its haunting plotline, which suggests Abel is a ghost watching over a woman he desires.Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born 16 February 1990), known professionally as The Weeknd (pronounced "the weekend"), is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. Set in the architectural masterpiece that is Toronto’s Reference Library and throughout the University of Toronto’s Scarborough campus, the video opens with French narration, and stars Black Atlass - aka Alex Fleming, an up-and-coming R&B singer-songwriter out of Montreal. The song, which quotes the iconic ’80s chorus of The Romantics’ “Talking In Your Sleep,” but with a slight sonic nod to Tears For Fears’ “Pale Shelter” - is complemented by clips with a distinctly Canadian flair.
Related: Selena Gomez Opens Up About Romance With The Weeknd: ‘I’m Genuinely Myself’ The Weeknd just dropped the visuals for his latest single, “Secrets,” and the video does NOT disappoint.