The Weeknd is a Canadian singer, songwriter and record producer. He has released three mixtapes and six major-label albums since 2011.
The Weeknd for Vanity Fair (June 2023)
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born 16 February 1990), known professionally by his stage name The Weeknd is a Canadian singer, songwriter and record producer. In late 2010, Tesfaye anonymously uploaded several songs to YouTube under the name "The Weeknd". He released three nine-track mixtapes throughout 2011: House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence, which were critically acclaimed. The following year, he released a compilation album Trilogy, thirty tracks consisting of remastered versions of the mixtape material and three additional songs. It was released under Republic Records and his own label XO.
In 2013, he released his debut studio album Kiss Land, which was supported by the singles "Kiss Land" and "Live For". His second, Grammy Award winning album, Beauty Behind the Madness, which became his first number one album on the Billboard 200, included the top-five single "Earned It" and produced the number-one singles "The Hills" and "Can't Feel My Face". 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. In 2016, Tesfaye dropped his third, and yet again Grammy Award winning album Starboy, largely changing the direction he would go for in future releases, and generating the massive hits "Starboy", "Die for You" and "I Feel It Coming". Two years later Abel made the My Dear Melancholy, EP, which saw him go back to his dark R&B roots. 2020's After Hours featured The Weeknd exploring retro-styled synth-pop, continuing into the next two projects, Dawn FM and Hurry Up Tomorrow (released in 2022 and 2025 respectively), all three of which comprise into a new, story-driven trilogy. It so far produced gigantic hits, including Billboard Hot 100's best performing song of all time, and Spotify's most streamed song of all time "Blinding Lights", as well as "Save Your Tears" which gained even more popularity with the Ariana Grande remix, "In Your Eyes" and "Take My Breath".
(2013)
(2015)
(2016)
(2020)
(2022)
(2025)
(2018)
(2012}
(2018)
(2021)
(2023)
(2011)
(2011)
(2011)
