The Weeknd (born February 16, 1990, Toronto,Ontario, Canada) is a Canadianrhythm-and-blues singer and songwriter best known for hisexplicit songs about sex and drugs, many of which are autobiographical, and for his soaringfalsetto and its singular tremolo.

Early life and career

Tesfaye’s mother and grandmother immigrated in the 1980s toCanada fromEthiopia, and his first language wasAmharic. When he was in grade 11, he quit school and left home, devoting himself to unbridled partying. Tesfaye eventually landed a job at American Apparel and at the same time began writing songs aboutdrug use, casual sex, and alienation. He crossed paths with musician and producer Jeremy Rose, and they started working together. Their collaborationyielded three atmospheric songs—“The Morning,” “Loft Music,” and “What You Need”—with lyrics that were partly sung and partly rapped. The songs, credited to The Weeknd, were uploaded as audio files to the video-sharingWeb siteYouTube in late 2010; their popularity grew exponentially after they were posted to the blog of Canadian rapperDrake.

Breakthrough and albums

With Drake as an admirer and backer, Tesfaye had greater access to recording opportunities, and by March 2011 he had put together a nine-song mixtape,House of Balloons, which he released as a free download. The album gained critical notice and was short-listed for Canada’s Polaris Music Prize. Tesfaye made his first public appearance as The Weeknd in aToronto nightclub in July that year. He released two more free mixtapes in 2011,Thursday andEchoes of Silence. In addition, he contributed to the 2011 Drake releaseTake Care.

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The Weeknd partnered with Republic Records in September 2012. Two months later he releasedTrilogy, made up of remastered versions of the songs on the three mixtapes; it became abest seller. However, The Weeknd’s first studio album,Kiss Land (2013), failed to penetrate beyond his fan base.

The Weeknd subsequently asked his record company for help in crafting songs. The outcome was a professional relationship with the hit-making Swedish producer Max Martin and a duet with pop starAriana Grande, “Love Me Harder.” The song, released in 2014, reached the top 10. The Weeknd’s next three hit singles, “Earned It,” “The Hills,” and “Can’t Feel My Face,” were featured onBeauty Behind the Madness (2015). In 2016 The Weeknd won Canada’s Juno Award for artist of the year for the second consecutive year, as well as four other Junos, including album of the year. He also wonGrammy Awards for best R&B performance for “Earned It,” andBeauty Behind the Madness took the award for best urbancontemporary album. In addition, “Earned It,” which was included on the soundtrack of the filmFifty Shades of Grey (2015), was nominated for anAcademy Award in 2016.

The Weeknd’s success continued withStarboy (2016), which featured collaborations withKendrick Lamar,Lana Del Rey, andDaft Punk. It was a commercial hit and earned a Grammy for best urban contemporary album. His next release,My Dear Melancholy, (2018), recalled the moody, atmospheric sounds of his earliermusic. The cinematic and introspectiveAfter Hours (2020) was critically praised and, like his previous release, debuted at the top of the charts. The Weeknd performed at theSuper Bowl halftime show in 2021. The following year his fifth studio album,Dawn FM, appeared. The work was described as a “dance party inpurgatory,” and it was narrated byJim Carrey with guest appearances byQuincy Jones, Bruce Johnston ofthe Beach Boys, and Tyler, the Creator.

In 2024 he dropped “Dancing in the Flames,” the first single from his upcoming album,Hurry Up Tomorrow, which he revealed is to be the third entry in a trilogy of albums that includesAfter Hours andDawn FM.

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Acting and TV projects

In 2019 The Weeknd made his feature-filmdebut, appearing as himself in the crime dramedyUncut Gems, which starredAdam Sandler. He also appeared in the short-lived TV seriesThe Idol (2023), a drama about a pop-music star in which The Weeknd played a sleazy nightclub owner. He also served as the series’ cocreator, coproducer, and cowriter.