The Weeknd

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, better known by his stage name The Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter and music producer of Ethiopian descent. In late 2010, Tesfaye anonymously uploaded several songs to YouTube under the name “The Weeknd”.

In 2009, the artist uploaded his debut track Do It to YouTube using his name as a pseudonym. Later, he met producer Jeremy Rose, who proposed a collaboration.

The result of the collaboration was 3 tracks published on the web under the name xoxxxxxoooooxo. At first he wanted to call his project The Weekend, which was symbolic for Abel, because he left home on weekends. But since there was already a band with such a name, it was decided to remove one letter, and then the word The Weeknd appeared. The debut singles of the performer quickly attracted the attention of the Internet community, but their further promotion was greatly facilitated by the attention of rapper Drake. Later, the artist gained acquaintances in the music industry and co-founded the XO Records label. It released the mixtape House of Balloons.

The Weeknd without exaggeration can be called a star of the modern era, because he knows exactly how to attract attention to his work. His songs become hits, his performances become talked-about events, and the release of a new album turns into an elaborate show.