The Weeknd Biography

The Weeknd, real name Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, was a Canadian rhythm and blues singer and songwriter who is best known for his explicit songs about $*x and drugs, many of which were autobiographical, as well as for his soaring falsetto and its distinctive tremolo. The Weeknd was born on February 16, 1990 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

When he was in grade 11, he dropped out of school, left his family, and devoted himself to wild partying. Tesfaye eventually got a job at American Apparel and started creating songs about alienation, drug use, and casual $*x at the same time.

After running into musician and producer Jeremy Rose, they began collaborating. Three atmospheric songs “The Morning,” “Loft Music,” and “What You Need” with partially sung, partially rapped lyrics were the result of their collaboration. Late in 2010, the songs credited to The Weeknd were shared as audio files on the video-sharing website YouTube. After Canadian rapper Drake posted them on his blog, their popularity skyrocketed.