The Weeknd
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as The Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter and producer. Known for their versatile acoustics and dark lyricism, Tesfaye's music explores escape, romance and melancholy, often inspired by personal experiences. He has won numerous awards, including three Grammy Awards, 19 Billboard Music Awards, 15 Juno Awards, 6 American Music Awards, 2 MTV Video Music Awards and an Academy Award nomination.
Born and raised in Toronto, Tesfaye began her recording career in 2009 by posting music anonymously to YouTube. Two years later, he co-founded record company XO and released the critically acclaimed mixtape House of Balloons, Thursday, Echoes of Silence, quickly gaining recognition for his dark contemporary and alternative R&B style and the mysteries surrounding his personality. . In 2012, Tesfaye signed with Republic Records to re-release the mixtape of the trilogy compilation. In 2013, he experimented with dark waves with the release of his debut studio album, Kiss Land. His chamber pop and R&B single "Earned It", from Fifty Shades of Gray's 2015 soundtrack, won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
Tesfaye achieved critical and commercial success with his second studio album, Beauty Behind Madness (2015). It became his first number-one album on the US Billboard 200 and became one of the best-selling albums of the year, and the singles "Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills" reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. Beauty Behind the Madness also won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Urban Album and was nominated for Album of the Year. His third studio album Starboy (2016), which included the #1 single of the same name, was also a commercial success. Like its predecessor, Starboy won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Urban Album. Tesfaye explored new waves and dream pop with her acclaimed fourth studio album After Hours (2020), which included the number one singles "Heartless" and "Save Your Tears" and also a record holder for the "Blinding Lights" chart. His fifth studio album, Dawn FM (2022), which was inspired by dance-pop music, also received critical acclaim and included the top ten single Take My Breath, which reached number one in the United States. With over 75 million copies sold of of the world's best-selling musicians,
Tesfaye holds multiple streaming service and Billboard chart records. He was the first artist to reach number one on the Hot R&B/HipHop Songs chart upon debut, and 'Blinding Lights' is the longest-running chart song in Billboard history. Considered an influential figure in modern popular music, Tesfaye was named one of the most influential people in the world for 2020 by Time magazine.
- LAST WEEK: 17
- WEEKS AT NO. 1: 1
- WEEKS ON CHART: 338
Born: February 16, 1990
Genres: R&B, alternative R&B, pop, synth-pop, new wave, dark wave
