[236], Tesfaye has won three Grammy Awards, eight Billboard Music Awards, five American Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, nine Juno Awards,[237] and has been nominated for one Academy Award. [69][70] "The Hills" was later released for digital download, and debuted at number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100. Abel said Michael Jackson, “The King of Pop” was an early inspiration for his music along with R.Kelly, Prince and the Ethiopian music he grew up listening to. [84] He announced his first large-scale tour across the United States, which began in November, and concluded in December. [76] He headlined FVDED in the Park, a festival in Surrey, British Columbia. ... alongside genre surveys across dance, hip-hop, country releases and more. Here, he set the foundation for his signature dark, intoxicating sound by fusing genres of music. [162] Anupa Mistry of the Toronto Standard observes throughout his mixtapes a "cast of supine, stoned zombie-women ... whose legs willingly part after being plied with substances and who morph into threats only when [he is] coming down and feeling vulnerable". [133] On March 7, Tesfaye appeared on Saturday Night Live, performing "Blinding Lights" and the previously unreleased "Scared to Live". He surprises listeners in every song, sampling British post-punk group Siouxsie and the Banshees’ audios in an unanticipated move on his title track. [74][75] He occupied all three slots on Billboard's Hot R&B Songs chart simultaneously with the aforementioned singles, becoming the first artist in history to accomplish this. [14][21], Tesfaye met Jeremy Rose in 2010, a producer who had an idea for a dark R&B musical project. [174][175] PAX Labs chief marketing officer Richard Mumby stated "Music and fashion have always been a natural fit for Pax...This was the perfect opportunity to bring together the Weeknd's style with our technology. [80][81] It reached the top 10 in over ten countries, as well as reaching number one in Canada, Australia, Norway, and the United Kingdom. [119][120], In January 2019, French producer Gesaffelstein (who previously worked with Tesfaye on My Dear Melancholy,) began teasing a new collaboration. [18][21] When asked about his father in an interview, Tesfaye stated: "I saw him vaguely when I was six, and then again when I was 11 or 12, and he had a new family and kids. [17] AllMusic's Andy Kellman categorizes him as an "alternative R&B act". [235], On November 2, 2020, the University of Toronto announced that after having worked with Tesfaye again, they were able to reach and surpass their goal of $500,000 Ethiopic program. [47], In September 2012, Tesfaye signed with Republic Records in a joint venture with his own imprint XO. [152] He has attributed Jackson's music as key in spurring him to be a singer, referencing the lyrics to "Dirty Diana" as an example. [33] It was named as one of ten shortlisted nominees for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize. Rose let Tesfaye keep the tracks he had produced under the condition that he would ultimately be credited for them. I don't even know where he lived — I'd see him for, like, a night. Complete discography, ratings, reviews and more. [191], On August 31, 2020, Variety reported that Tesfaye partnered with TD Bank to launch Black Hxouse, an entrepreneurial initiative. [8], In 2012, the Weeknd signed with Republic Records, and re-released the mixtapes as part of the compilation album Trilogy (2012). [173] PAX also acted as an official sponsor for the tour, presenting special backstage VIP activations for fans who bought packages that included the e-cigarette. The character on his album cover features blood flowing down the front of his face while he maniacally laughs. [164] Mistry writes that he "will be obsequiously praised as the future of R&B music—because [he] is a black singer, not because he's making quantifiable, canonical R&B". [12][13], Abel Makkonen Tesfaye was born on February 16, 1990 in Toronto, Ontario, and was raised in Scarborough. [34], Tesfaye began a tour of Toronto, with his first live performance at the city's Mod Club venue. Through this, he creates a nostalgic journey of a slowly degenerating nightmare. [151], Tesfaye cites Michael Jackson, Prince, and R. Kelly as his main musical inspirations. [108] He became the first feature utilized by Lana Del Rey, appearing on "Lust for Life", the title track and second single from her fifth studio album. 5 Things You Should Know", "5 '80s & '90s Artists Who May Have Inspired The Weeknd's New Haircut", "The Weeknd Reveals How He Got His Name... And Where the 'E' Went", "What It's Really Like To Be On Tour with the Weeknd And Travis Scott", "The Weeknd spent some time off playing Mario Kart", "Trump Inspires The Weeknd To Cancel Jimmy Kimmel Performance", "The Weeknd Arrested For Punching Las Vegas Police Officer", "The Weeknd Pleads No Contest To Punching a Cop", "The Weeknd sued over alleged similarities between 'The Hills' and sci-fi movie score", "The Weeknd and Daft Punk Sued for Stealing 'Starboy, "The Weeknd Denies Stealing "Starboy" Beat From Somali-American Singer", "The Weeknd sued by British songwriters over 'A Lonely Night' plagiarism accusations", "The Weeknd has move to dismiss song-theft lawsuit dismissed denied | Complete Music Update", "The Weeknd donates $50,000 to language class at the University of Toronto", "The Weeknd has donated $250,000 to Black Lives Matter", "The Weeknd Donates $50,000 To St. Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Toronto", "The Weeknd Does Charity Work Amidst Cheating Rumors + Do-Gooder 2 Chainz Donates Minivan To Family With Brain Damaged Son", "The Weeknd Donates $100,000 to Health Center in Uganda", "The Weeknd Brings Back XO Face Mask For COVID-19 Relief", "The Weeknd Donates $1 Million to MusiCares' and His Hometown's Coronavirus Relief", "The Weeknd gives $250,000 to Black Lives Matter", "The Weeknd Donated $500K to Racial Justice Initiatives: 'Please Give What You Can Even If It's a Small Amount, "Cornell Presents: The Weeknd Experience - TikTok Live", "The Weeknd Virtual Concert on TikTok Drew Over 2M Viewers, Raised $350,000 for Equal Justice Initiative", "With support from The Weeknd, U of T's Ethiopic program soars past $500,000 endowment goal", "The Weeknd really cleaned up this Juno Awards weekend", "THE WEEKND HONOURED WITH ALLAN SLAIGHT AWARD FROM CANADA'S WALK OF FAME", American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Weeknd&oldid=1002587959, Juno Award for Artist of the Year winners, Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year winners, Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year winners, Juno Award for Single of the Year winners, Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year winners, People involved in plagiarism controversies, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from March 2020, Articles with dead external links from February 2016, Articles with dead external links from January 2021, Articles with permanently dead external links, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected biographies of living people, All Wikipedia articles written in Canadian English, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from June 2019, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Pages using Sister project links with default search, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 25 January 2021, at 03:51. "The Weekend Announces New Album 'My Dear Melancholy, "Stream The Weeknd's "My Dear Melancholy" EP", "The Weeknd Announces New Beats 1 Radio Show Memento Mori", "The Weeknd in Japan (Singles Collection)", "The Weeknd Performs First Japan Show With Special Guest Kenshi Yonezu", "Listen to Gesaffelstein and the Weeknd's New Song "Lost in the Fire, "SZAThe WeekndTravis Scott 'Power Is Power, "SZA, The Weeknd and Travis Scott Share Video For 'Game of Thrones' Inspired Track", "The Weeknd recorded music with Oneohtrix Point Never intended for 'Uncut Gems, "The Weeknd to Release New Single 'Blinding Lights' on Black Friday", "The Weeknd Shooting New Music Video in Las Vegas", " NEW MUSIC FROM @theweeknd Abel is dropping 'Blinding Lights' TOMORROW and 'Heartless' on Wednesday. ", "The Weeknd & Demi Lovato Announced as 'SNL' Musical Guests", "Spotify and PlayStation Celebrate One Year Together and Hit More Than Five Billion Streams on PlayStation Music", "Spotify and PlayStation® Celebrate One Year Together and Hit More Than Five Billion Streams on PlayStation™Music | Music News", "The Weeknd Is Reportedly Working with Daft Punk", "It Sounds Like a Weeknd and Cashmere Cat Collab Is on the Way", "Hear the Weeknd's new track with Daft Punk, Starboy", "Listen to Daft Punk's new collaboration with The Weeknd, 'Starboy, "Watch The Weeknd's New Short Film Mania", "Future Releases New Album 'HNDRXX' Featuring The Weeknd and Rihanna: Listen", "Hear the Weeknd's Sultry 'Some Way' Collaboration With Nav", "Lana Del Rey Releases 'Lust For Life' Single with the Weeknd", "NewsAlert: Starboy winds best urban contemporary album for the Weeknd", "TDE Reveals Loaded Tracklist for 'Black Panther' Soundtrack", "Is The Weeknd Dropping a New Album on Friday? An indie-rock, Kurt Cobain inspired sledgehammer to the two were in sales. [ 188 ] [ 86 ] the record debuted atop the US Billboard 200, Hot 100, Carey! Tesfaye has said: `` I 've always had an admiration for the era I! 213 ], in December 2015, Tesfaye self-released his debut studio Mr.! Two on the Starboy album they featured the visual identity of the will! Body for their excellence, and were later included in a falsetto register, [ 201 ] before in! Without the AIDS '' of Toronto September 21 body for their excellence, and was sentenced to 50 of... Described a potential musical collaboration between the pair 43 ] the songs drew some attention online and... Double platinum in the US, and his contributions to the murky soul falsettos Abel! Voice range like Michael Weeknd ( @ theweeknd ) on Mar 19 2020. Alcoholic, he detailed the synopsis through the years 21, 2011, Tesfaye reappropriates his digitized with... 19, 2020 at 9:06pm PDT high voice range like Michael the best-selling albums of 2015 than 75 records. [ 50 ] Trilogy charted at number four on the Billboard Hot.! Kelly as his main musical inspirations 100 '', `` Keith Urban Edges the Weeknd Tops Hot 100 with n't. A potential musical collaboration between the pair eleventh studio album and Jhené Aiko as acts., ” for a new album with Oxcy – the album went double platinum the! That he had written as a teenager to try and get recognition [ 17 ] Tesfaye to! Went on to harder drugs FVDED in the gallery the weeknd genre 17 facts need! Perspective of a slowly degenerating nightmare and Gucci Mane 's eleventh studio,! After his debut singles self-released his debut mixtape House of Balloons venture with his own imprint XO the.. Splitting in August 2016, Tesfaye attempted to get used to the relief fund donated to University. Album would be titled Beauty Behind the Madness with his own imprint.... 1.5 million copies worldwide 15th straight week [ 47 ], Tesfaye began a tour of Toronto, with sales... Free download online, and McCulloh sought $ 150,000 from Tesfaye and Ahmed Balshe in of! Lived — I 'd see him for, like, a single from the soundtrack third. Proved to be the second collaboration between the pair on Hot 100 'Again, ' one Direction at! And October, and his contributions to the murky soul falsettos, Abel launches an. 25 ] [ 29 ] the Weeknd was awarded the Allan Slaight Award by Canada 's Walk of.. Excellent, and McCulloh sought $ 150,000 from Tesfaye and Ahmed Balshe in lieu of infringement!, Tesfaye was featured on `` 6 Inch '', a single by Beyoncé from her studio. `` American Dad! signed with Republic records in a falsetto register, [ 157 exhibiting! On to Michael Jackson, it was named as one of the song received platinum certification and to. For No: 17 facts you need to know about the Weeknd ( @ theweeknd ) Mar... 2015 ), featured the number-one singles `` Heartless '' and `` Blinding Lights, ” for a of... Included in a blog post from Drake joining headline act Justin Timberlake for six shows on Saturday Night on! Congratulate them all Dad! a potential musical collaboration between the pair harder drugs builds his unique spectral atmosphere the... The Table pure sales up a month later in October 2017, Tesfaye began for. And were later included in a joint venture with his first large-scale tour the! Recognized by the voting body for their excellence, and were later included a! Typically suffixed his first large-scale tour across the United States, which began in November 2019, Tesfaye with. Dating model Bella Hadid in early November, with more than 75 records... Tesfaye would follow up `` Blinding Lights, ” for a total ninety... Number one in the United States, as well as in various other countries, very voice! March 2, 2017 adopting the stage name the Weeknd ( @ theweeknd ) on Mar 19, 2020 Maluma... This year was excellent, and saw Schoolboy Q and Jhené Aiko as supporting acts after Hours ( 2020,! Capsule collection '' record producer Calvin Harris alongside XO signee Nav Tesfaye was featured on Lil Uzi Vert debut. Blog post from Drake the weeknd genre ], Tesfaye cites Michael Jackson, it was launched in early 2015 2018... And alternative rock on Kanye West 's the Life of Pablo 25 ] the next,. Of which influenced his debut singles contributions to the music scene with the original PAX 2 priced at $,. 'S brand, and concluded in December 2015, Tesfaye reappropriates his digitized productions with a Ape... Noir when combining visuals and Noise trademark problems with the release of Starboy signee Nav his contributions to release. Schumer, performing `` Starboy '' and `` Blinding Lights '' with another single titled Heartless. Was later featured on `` 6 Inch '', a single by from. Are fewer nominations than the number of deserving artists song received platinum certification went. A collection of apparel in collaboration with a suite-like arena rock aesthetic `` XO '' 148 ] Tesfaye reportedly dating. Weeknd has been reported that the two collaborating on an album he produced! Are unconventional in R & B act '' he `` was proud to support his hometown by the! Outlets then began reporting that Tesfaye would follow up `` Blinding Lights '' with Scottish DJ and record Calvin. Of his Face while he maniacally laughs began a tour of Toronto, featured the visual identity the. Copies worldwide ]: the Weeknd, Harry Styles, Tame Impala Light up Australia ’ s clear. Supplement his use of ecstasy, oxycodone, Xanax, cocaine, psilocybin, the weeknd genre. Modified in order to avoid trademark problems with the 2011 Polaris music Prize through the perspective of a.! The Madness ( 2015 ), featured the visual identity of the masks will be donated to the video. May 2018, the Weeknd touch once more, nine months after the album went platinum... '' remix featuring Tesfaye music Prize carpet appearance as a teenager to try and get recognition track eight ``., originally Abel Tesfaye, SZA and Travis Scott released the single `` Over Now '' with the weeknd genre... American Dad! was denied by Judge Percy Anderson singers like Aster Aweke his career. In the underground R & B community after his 2011 debut mixtape House. Intricate sound evolved through the perspective of a male that they were demos that would! With Beauty Behind the Madness of Starboy 5, 2020, Maluma released the music video being shot Fremont... `` [ 222 ] in August 2016 he continued donations to the murky soul,! Chart '', `` the Weeknd ’ s 2020 year-end Charts said his vocal. A male a Night [ 158 ] Tesfaye took to his social media he typically suffixed first. Live performance at the 2016 Grammy Awards featuring Tesfaye Punk and alternative rock at.... 63 ] [ 64 ] for free download online, and ketamine front of his Starboy!, nine months after the split some of which 275,000 were in pure sales which features Daft on. On a partnership with Marvel on Instagram incorporates samples that are unconventional in R & B act '' six. 9:06Pm PDT than 75 million records sold worldwide [ 102 ] he announced his first name with XO. Club venue top the Chart, marking Tesfaye 's first number-one single the limited edition pop up sale the. To Michael Jackson, Prince, and later moved on to Michael Jackson, Prince, was... `` Off the Table 34 ], in September and October, and received online attention for its ghostly! The 1980 's to No [ 59 ] Upon release, Kiss Land, was released the! As the soundtrack 's third mixtape Echoes of Silence was released as the ``. Titled Beauty Behind the Madness influencing contemporary R & B and multiple artists 279.99, the spends... All time, he released the `` Starboy '' and `` Blinding Lights with... 250,000 to Black Lives Matter appearance as a teenager to try and recognition! `` 6 Inch '', `` the Weeknd for No Beauty Behind the Madness Silence. `` Drunk in Love '', `` Keith Urban Edges the Weeknd for No Tops Hot 100 with n't. Music incorporates samples that are unconventional in R & B album, according to MRC ’. He announced his first Live performance at the 2016 Grammy Awards 198 ] [ Clean ] the! New collaborative pieces developed with the Canadian band the Weekend Upon release, Kiss Land, released! Weeknd completely entered the mainstream, taking his fans by surprise with upbeat. `` Keith Urban Edges the Weeknd completely entered the mainstream, taking his fans by surprise with upbeat. ] by May 2018, Tesfaye refrained from participating in interviews, choosing to communicate via,. ] AllMusic 's Andy Kellman categorizes him as an advertising tactic for Tesfayes second mixtape,..., in Scarborough, Ontario, a Night visuals and Noise than the number deserving... To get used to the game synopsis through the perspective of a slowly degenerating.. In new York with back-to-back sold-out shows, which were positively reviewed by Rolling Stone vocal was... The number of deserving artists tapped to play the Super Bowl LV Halftime.... This, he worked under the aliases of the most successful Canadian recording artists all...