Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 02:13, 19 May 2021

The Weeknd
The Weeknd performing in July 2018
Born	Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (1990-02-16) February 16, 1990 (age 34) Toronto, Canada
Occupations	Singer songwriter record producer
Years active	2010–present
Musical career
Genres	R&B alternative R&B pop electropop synth-pop
Labels	XO Republic
Musical artist
Website	theweeknd.com
Signature

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. Tesfaye is notable for his original and eccentric style, soaring falsetto and its singular tremolo, and his influence on artists in many contemporary music styles including pop, hip hop, and rhythm and blues.

The Weeknd began his recording career in 2010, anonymously uploading several songs to YouTube. A year later, the Weeknd released the mixtapes House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence, and quickly earned a following and critical recognition from several mainstream publications due to his dark style of Contemporary R&B and the mystique surrounding his identity. In 2012, he signed with Republic Records and re-released the mixtapes in the compilation album Trilogy (2012). His debut studio album, Kiss Land, was released in 2013. He followed it with Beauty Behind the Madness (2015), which was among the best-selling albums of 2015. With the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills", Beauty Behind the Madness won Best Urban Contemporary Album and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2016 Grammy Awards.

The Weeknd's third album Starboy (2016) was a similar commercial success and included the number-one single of the same name, and also won Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 2018 Grammy Awards. His fourth album, After Hours (2020), featured the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Heartless", "Save Your Tears", and "Blinding Lights", the latter of which has since become the first ever song to spend over a year in the top ten of the chart.

The Weeknd is on the list of best-selling music artists with over 75 million records sold. He has won three Grammy Awards, five American Music Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, and nine Juno Awards, and has been nominated for an Academy Award. He holds several chart records, being the first artist to simultaneously hold the top three positions on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart with "Can't Feel My Face", "Earned It", and "The Hills". He was awarded the Allan Slaight Award by Canada's Walk of Fame. In 2017, he was featured on the cover of Forbes for his annual earnings of $92 million.

He chose his stage name in tribute to when he was 17 years old, when, along with a friend, he left home, dropped out of high school, took his mattress, and drove off, never coming home. He left out the letter E due to copyright issues with the Canadian band the Weekend.

Early life

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye was born on February 16, 1990 in Toronto, to Ethiopian immigrants Makkonen and Samra Tesfaye and grew up in the Scarborough area of Toronto. He is an only child and was raised by his grandmother and mother after his parents separated. While living with his grandmother, he learned Amharic, which he also spoke with his mother. He attended services at the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. He said of his father: "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. I don't even know where he lived — I'd see him for, like, a night. I'm sure he's a great guy. I never judged him. He wasn't abusive, he wasn't an alcoholic, he wasn't an asshole. He just wasn't there."

Tesfaye has described his teens as being like the film "Kids without the AIDS". He stated he began smoking marijuana at age eleven, and later used ecstasy, oxycodone, Xanax, cocaine, psilocybin, and ketamine. He said that he often shoplifted to supplement his drug use. He attended West Hill Collegiate Institute and Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, where he left without graduating in 2007. After this, he also left home and moved to the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto. He has said that his stage name was inspired by his high school drop-out status, after he "left one weekend and never came home", though producer Jeremy Rose claims the name was his idea. The spelling was modified in order to avoid trademark problems with the Canadian band the Weekend.

Career

2010–2011: Career beginnings

Tesfaye met Jeremy Rose in 2010, a producer who had an idea for a dark R&B musical project. After initially trying to pitch the idea to musician Curtis Santiago, Rose played one of his instrumentals for Tesfaye, who freestyle rapped over it. This led to the two collaborating on an album. Rose produced three songs – "What You Need", "Loft Music", and "The Morning" – and others that Tesfaye had rapped on, which were ultimately scrapped. Rose let Tesfaye keep the tracks he had produced under the condition that he would ultimately be credited for them. In December 2010, Tesfaye uploaded "What You Need", "Loft Music" and "The Morning" to YouTube under his stage name, although his identity was initially unknown. The songs drew some attention online, and were later included in a blog post from Drake. The songs subsequently received coverage from various media outlets, including Pitchfork and The New York Times. Before adopting the stage name the Weeknd, he worked under the aliases of the Noise and Kin Kane.

On October 31, 2012, Tesfaye posted via Twitter that: "noise ep was bunch of songs leaked by salty producers and found AFTER HOB dropped. demo's written as a teen to get recognition. xo." The EP consists of 10 tracks, some of which influenced his debut mixtape, House of Balloons.

On March 21, 2011, Tesfaye self-released his debut mixtape House of Balloons. The mixtape included production from Canadian producers Illangelo and Doc McKinney, and included the tracks produced by Rose, although, he did not receive production credits. House of Balloons was met with critical acclaim. It was named as one of ten shortlisted nominees for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize.

Tesfaye began a tour of Toronto, with his first live performance at the city's Mod Club venue. Drake was in attendance to view the performance, which ran for a total of ninety minutes. Drake approached Tesfaye and described a potential musical collaboration between the pair. Tesfaye accompanied Drake at his various shows, often performing as the opening act for shows scheduled at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, as well as appearing at the second annual OVO Fest in July. Over the summer of 2011, Tesfaye contributed to four songs on Drake's Take Care, both as a writer and a featured artist.

Tesfaye refrained from participating in interviews, choosing to communicate via Twitter after the album was released. This was credited as an advertising tactic for Tesfayes second mixtape Thursday, which was released on August 18, 2011. Tesfaye's third mixtape Echoes of Silence was released on December 21, 2011, a year after his debut singles.

Following this release, the three mixtapes were collectively known as the Balloons Trilogy, and saw Tesfaye receiving offers from various record labels.

2012–2014: Trilogy and Kiss Land

In April 2012, Tesfaye began his first tour of the United States, with a performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The tour culminated in New York with back-to-back sold-out shows, which were positively reviewed by Rolling Stone. Tesfaye expanded his tour to accompany Europe, performing at various European festivals, including the Primavera Sound Festivals in Spain and Portugal, and the Wireless Festival in London. Covering "Dirty Diana" at his performance in London, he received positive responses from both Katy Perry and Florence Welch, who noted the singer's ability to successfully undertake a complex song. In June, the Balloons Trilogy was revealed to have been downloaded over 8 million times, which allowed Tesfaye to initiate formal commercial release of the projects later that year.

In September 2012, Tesfaye signed with Republic Records in a joint venture with his own imprint XO. The compilation album for the mixtapes entitled Trilogy, was released two months later, and consisted of several remastered versions of songs, as well as three additional ones. It also officially credited Rose as a producer and writer on the three songs from House of Balloons for which he did not initially receive credit. Trilogy charted at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 86,000 copies. It also debuted at number five on the Canadian Albums Chart, with similar sales. Trilogy was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and double-platinum by Music Canada in May 2013. He had also gained a nomination for the Sound of 2013 poll award by the BBC a week later.

On May 16, 2013, Tesfaye premiered the title track to his debut studio album Kiss Land, and announced the album's release date as September 10. The album was later promoted by the singles "Belong to the World" and "Live For" featuring Drake, as well as with Tesfaye embarking on a Fall tour a week prior to the album's release. Upon release, Kiss Land debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 96,000 copies. It was later confirmed to have sold over 273,000 copies in the United States, as well as receiving generally positive reviews from music critics.

Tesfaye appeared on the 20/20 Experience World Tour, joining headline act Justin Timberlake for six shows. This was three weeks prior to his contributions to the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), contributing "Devil May Cry", as well as featuring on Sia's "Elastic Heart". The latter proved to be the second lead single from the soundtrack.

In 2014, Tesfaye remixed "Drunk in Love", a single by Beyoncé from her eponymous studio album. Retaining the theme and concept of the song, he detailed the synopsis through the perspective of a male. The remix was well-received, and came days prior to the announcement of Tesfaye's first headlining tour, entitled the King of the Fall tour. The tour was held across the United States in September and October, and saw Schoolboy Q and Jhené Aiko as supporting acts. This oversaw his release of the songs "Often" and "King of the Fall", leading to speculation that the former was the first single from his second studio album. He later collaborated with Ariana Grande on a duet titled "Love Me Harder", which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. Days later, he released "Earned It", a single from Fifty Shades of Grey (2015). The song, which marked his second contribution to a film, peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. He also performed the song at the 88th Academy Awards, where it was nominated for Best Original Song.

2015–2017: Beauty Behind the Madness and Starboy

After Tesfaye won the Centric Award at the 2015 BET Awards, he performed "Earned It" with Alicia Keys, as well as debuting the song "The Hills". "The Hills" was later released for digital download, and debuted at number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100. The single later went on to top the Billboard chart, marking Tesfaye's first number-one single. The single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making it Tesfaye's first diamond-certified record.

On June 8, "Can't Feel My Face", a previously leaked track, was released as the album's third single, following its performance at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference. The song debuted at number twenty-four on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached number-one on the Hot 100, making it his third top 10 hit, and his second number-one hit in the United States. 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. He headlined FVDED in the Park, a festival in Surrey, British Columbia. Tesfaye was unveiled as one of the musical faces of the streaming service Apple Music, a position he harboured with frequent collaborator Drake. During the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards, Apple debuted a two-part promotional commercial featuring Tesfaye, which had a guest appearance from John Travolta. It was revealed that his second studio album would be titled Beauty Behind the Madness.

Beauty Behind the Madness was released on August 28, 2015, and debuted atop the Billboard 200, earning 412,000 album equivalent units in its first week. It reached the top 10 in over ten countries, as well as reaching number one in Canada, Australia, Norway, and the United Kingdom. The album was promoted by Tesfaye headlining various summer music festivals, including Lollapalooza, the Hard Summer Music Festival, and the Bumbershoot Festival. He announced his first large-scale tour across the United States, which began in November, and concluded in December. The album went double platinum in the US, and sold 1.5 million copies worldwide. It was reported to be the most-streamed album throughout 2015, with over 60 million, as well as being ranked on multiple lists detailing albums of the year.

On September 8, Tesfaye became the first male artist to have simultaneously held the top three spots on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart, with the three singles that preceded the release of his album. They all went platinum in the United States. After engaging in multiple musical collaborations with Belly, Meek Mill, and Travis Scott, Tesfaye was featured on "Low Life", the triple platinum single from Future's fourth studio album. Tesfaye appeared on Saturday Night Live alongside actress Amy Schumer, performing as the show's musical guest on October 10. This was his first performance on the show as a solo artist, after appearing with Ariana Grande to perform "Love Me Harder".

Tesfaye was featured on "FML", a track on Kanye West's The Life of Pablo. It marked the second collaboration between the pair, with West providing production and writing on "Tell Your Friends" from Beauty Behind the Madness. Tesfaye appeared on "6 Inch", the fifth song on Beyoncé's Lemonade. He was announced by Spotify as being among the top five most streamed artists in their first year partnering with Sony to provide the streaming service on the PlayStation 4.

On August 24, in preparation for his third studio album, Republic Records executive vice-president Wendy Goldstein confirmed Tesfaye began collaborations with French electronic music duo Daft Punk. On the same day, Tesfaye also announced a collaboration with Norwegian record producer Cashmere Cat, titled "Wild Love". A month later, the previously mentioned album's title was announced as Starboy, and had a release date of November 25. He released the album's title track, which features Daft Punk on September 21. The song received platinum certification and went to number one in the United States, as well as in various other countries. A second collaboration with Daft Punk, entitled "I Feel It Coming", was released a week proceeding the album's release, alongside the solo efforts "Party Monster" and "False Alarm". Tesfaye returned to Saturday Night Live on October 10, performing "Starboy" and "False Alarm". He released a 12-minute short film, titled M A N I A, on November 23. Directed by Grant Singer, it featured excerpts from the album, including snippets from "All I Know" featuring Future, "Sidewalks" featuring Kendrick Lamar, "Secrets" and "Die for You".

In 2017, Tesfaye appeared on Future's sixth studio album, as well as on the debut single from Nav, who was signed by XO in January. 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. He was featured on French Montana's "A Lie", the third single from his second album Jungle Rules and on Cashmere Cat's debut single "Wild Love" from his album 9. He appeared on the Virgil Abloh-directed music video for Lil Uzi Vert's "XO Tour Llif3" alongside XO signee Nav. He was later featured on Lil Uzi Vert's debut album and Gucci Mane's eleventh studio album Mr. Davis. He gained a Grammy nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards for Starboy and ended up winning the award.

2018–present: My Dear Melancholy and After Hours

On January 31, 2018, Top Dawg Entertainment revealed the full tracklist of the Kendrick Lamar-curated Black Panther soundtrack album with Tesfaye featured on one of the tracks, "Pray for Me". On February 2, 2018, it was released as the soundtrack's third single. This marks the second collaboration between Tesfaye and Lamar, after the song "Sidewalks" on the Starboy album.

On March 27, 2018, Tesfaye began publicity for a new official release in an Instagram post. On March 29, 2018, a billboard appeared in London, England promoting a possible album titled My Dear Melancholy, and on the same day the project was officially announced. On March 30, 2018, the extended play My Dear Melancholy, was released. On June 6, 2018, the Weeknd announced his new Beats 1 radio show Memento Mori, which's first episode was released two days later. Later in the year, on November 21, 2018, the compilation album The Weeknd in Japan was released and served as his first greatest hits album.

In January 2019, French producer Gesaffelstein (who previously worked with Tesfaye on My Dear Melancholy) began promoting a new collaboration. On January 11, 2019, Tesfaye and Gesaffelstein released "Lost in the Fire", the second single off the latter's second studio album, Hyperion. On April 18, 2019, Tesfaye released "Power Is Power" alongside SZA and Travis Scott, a song part of a series of music inspired by the television show Game of Thrones, of which Tesfaye himself is a fan. On May 5, Tesfaye, SZA and Travis Scott released the music video for their Game of Thrones-inspired track. On August 30, 2019, during the Telluride Film Festival, Tesfaye made his debut cinematic appearance in the film Uncut Gems.

On November 24, 2019, "Blinding Lights", the expected lead single of his fourth studio album, was announced via a Mercedes-Benz commercial on German television. The next day, footage of a music video being shot in Fremont Street, Las Vegas surfaced. News outlets then began reporting that Tesfaye would follow up "Blinding Lights" with another single titled "Heartless". In promotion of the upcoming album, episode seven of the Weeknd's manager Cash's Memento Mori Beats 1 radio show was released on November 27, 2019. The single "Heartless" went on to debut at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later became his fourth number one single on the chart, the following week. The second single "Blinding Lights" went on to debut at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 the same week "Heartless" topped it, fell to number 52 in its second week, and then after a long climb reached number one on the chart on the issue dated April 4, 2020. Tesfaye revealed the album's title, After Hours, and release date, March 20, 2020, on February 19, 2020, and released the album's title track as a promotional single simultaneously. On March 7, Tesfaye appeared on Saturday Night Live, performing "Blinding Lights" and the previously unreleased "Scared to Live". Subsequently, the album was released on March 20, 2020, containing the singles "Heartless", "Blinding Lights" and "In Your Eyes". The record debuted atop the US Billboard 200, earning 444,000 album-equivalent units of which 275,000 were in pure sales. Shortly after the album release, on March 29, 2020, Tesfaye announced the release of three more previously unreleased songs: "Nothing Compares", "Missed You" and "Final Lullaby". In the album's first charting week, Tesfaye became the first artist to lead the Billboard 200, Billboard Hot 100, Billboard Artist 100, Hot 100 Songwriters and Hot 100 Producers charts simultaneously. After Hours had a second consecutive week at number one on the Hot 100 Songwriters chart (April 2020), due to five entries on the latest Billboard Hot 100 (singles), all of which he co-wrote and co-produced. In April 2020, Tesfaye announced he would be co-writing and starring in an upcoming episode of American Dad!, which later premiered on May 4, 2020.

On August 7, 2020, Tesfaye released "Smile" as a single, with late American rapper and singer Juice Wrld. Three weeks later, on August 28, he released the single "Over Now" with Scottish DJ and record producer Calvin Harris. After six years, Tesfaye worked with Ariana Grande again on a song called "Off The Table." The song was featured on track five of her album Positions, which released October 30, 2020. On the same day, Magic Oneohtrix Point Never released by Daniel Lopatin featured vocals from Tesfaye on track eight, "No Nightmares." On November 5, 2020, Maluma released the "Hawái" remix featuring Tesfaye. He also debuted three live performances on Vevo in November 2020, and performed at iHeartRadio's Jingle Ball alongside other artists on December 10, 2020.

Widely expected to receive multiple nominations for After Hours, Tesfaye was shut out of any nominations for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards (2021). Tesfaye took to his social media to criticize the Recording Academy, claiming corruption. Speculation arose that the announcement of his then-upcoming Super Bowl performance as well as the discrepancy of being nominated as pop music versus R&B contributed to the snubs. In response to the controversy, the Academy chairman Harvey Mason Jr. issued a statement:

We understand that The Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathize with what he's feeling. His music this year was excellent, and his contributions to the music community and broader world are worthy of everyone's admiration. We were thrilled when we found out he would be performing at the upcoming Super Bowl and we would have loved to have him also perform on the Grammy stage the weekend before. Unfortunately, every year, there are fewer nominations than the number of deserving artists. But as the only peer-voted music award, we will continue to recognize and celebrate excellence in music while shining a light on the many amazing artists that make up our global community. To be clear, voting in all categories ended well before The Weeknd's performance at the Super Bowl was announced, so in no way could it have affected the nomination process. All Grammy nominees are recognized by the voting body for their excellence, and we congratulate them all.

In January 2021, Tesfaye responded by saying that his previous Grammy awards are of no value to him any more. Despite the Recording Academy announcing the elimination of private nominating committees, Tesfaye said that moving forward with his career, he will prevent his record label from submitting his work to the Recording Academy. On February 5, 2021 The Highlights was released, as his second greatest hits album. Tesfaye performed at the Super Bowl LV halftime show on February 7, 2021 after announcing he would perform in November 2020. He reportedly spent $7 million on his performance at the show. Despite having a mixed response, the show resulted in a surge in streaming and downloads for Tesfaye's After Hours album as well as for the seven other songs he performed, along with an increase in ticket sales for The After Hours Tour.

Artistry

Tesfaye cites Michael Jackson, Prince, and R. Kelly as his main musical inspirations. He has attributed Jackson's music as key in spurring him to be a singer, referencing the lyrics to "Dirty Diana" as an example. He also said his high-flying vocal style was influenced by Ethiopian singers like Aster Aweke. He grew up listening to a variety of music genres, including soul, hip hop, funk, indie rock, and post-punk. Tesfaye has said: "I've always had an admiration for the era before I was born. You can hear it as far back as my first mixtape that the '80s – Siouxsie and the Banshees, Cocteau Twins – play such a huge role in my sound."

Tesfaye's songs are "built around a fogged, crepuscular production", and feature slow tempos, rumbling bass, and forlorn echoes. Tesfaye often sings in a falsetto register, exhibiting an enticing tone. J. D. Considine finds his singing's "tremulous quality" similar to Michael Jackson, but writes that he eschews Jackson's "strong basis in the blues" for a more Arabic-influenced melisma. Tesfaye possesses a wide light-lyric tenor vocal range, which spans over three octaves. His vocal range reaches its extreme low at the bass F (F₂), and its peak high at the tenor G♯ (G♯₅), with a natural tessitura within the upper fourth octave. Tesfaye often makes use of his head voice in order to build resonance to belt out strong high notes within the fifth octave. His music incorporates samples that are unconventional in R&B production, including punk and alternative rock. Marc Hogan of Spin says that Tesfaye's samples tend "to draw from rock critic-approved sources, though generally ones that already share elements of his sexual menace", with samples of artists such as Beach House, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Aaliyah. Tesfaye worked mostly with producers Illangelo and Doc McKinney, whom Pitchfork's Ian Cohen credits with developing "a state-of-the-art R&B template" with the artist. In concert, Tesfaye reappropriates his digitized productions with a suite-like arena rock aesthetic.

His emotional, plaintive lyrics often express feelings of hurt and deal with subject matter such as sex, drugs, and partying. Hermione Hoby of The Guardian characterizes Tesfaye's songs as "narcotised-slow jams" and delineates their message as "partying is an existential experience, sex is fraught with alienation, and everything registers as unreal and unsettling". The Guardian's Paul MacInnes has stated that he views Tesfaye's three mixtapes as "a rough trajectory of party, after-party and hangover". 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 coming down and feeling vulnerable". Tesfaye has viewed that, by singing vulgar, ignorant lyrics in an elegant, sexy way, he is paying homage to R. Kelly and Prince.

Tesfaye's musical style has been described as Contemporary R&B, alternative R&B, pop, electropop, and synth-pop. Tesfaye has helped broaden R&B's musical palette to incorporate indie and electronic styles; his work has been categorized with the alternative R&B tag. Mistry writes that he "will be obsequiously praised as the future of R&B music—because is a black singer, not because he's making quantifiable, canonical R&B". AllMusic's Andy Kellman categorizes him as an "alternative R&B act". While promoting his third album Starboy, Tesfaye also revealed Lana Del Rey, David Bowie, the Smiths, Bad Brains, Talking Heads, DeBarge, 50 Cent, the Wu-Tang Clan, and Eminem as influences. When electronic music duo Daft Punk announced their split, Tesfaye commented on an interview with Variety: "Those guys are one of the reasons I make music, so I can't even compare them to other people..."

Business ventures

During the Legend of the Fall Tour promoting Kiss Land, Tesfaye collaborated with condom-producing company ONE to give away limited-edition condoms at his shows. They featured the visual identity of the new album with Oxcy – the album's mascot – printed on one side.

In November 2015, to further promote Beauty Behind the Madness, Tesfaye collaborated with Pax Labs to release a limited edition version of the PAX 2 vaporizer, an electronic cigarette that could be used in shows during The Madness Fall Tour. The e-cigarette featured the "xo" branding on the front, as well as having the ability to play "The Hills" when turned on. With the original PAX 2 priced at $279.99, the limited edition e-cigarette cost $324.99. 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. 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."

In 2016, Tesfaye announced a partnership with Puma, as a global brand ambassador, for the company's "Run the Streets" campaign. It was launched in early November, with the final collection made available to coincide with the release of his album Starboy. He also hosted several pop-up retail stores for the "Starboy: Limited Capsule" collection, which were available across North America, including New York City, Los Angeles, and Toronto. With this partnership, Tesfaye also released three capsule collections named PUMA X XO including T-shirts, caps, sweatpants, bomber jackets and a pair of shoes called the Parallels.

Tesfaye has also begun his own XO branded merchandise, which was furthered by a collaboration with H&M to present its Spring 2017 campaign. The campaign would feature new collaborative pieces developed with the singer's brand, and was released on March 2, 2017. Tesfaye collaborated with H&M again for a fall collection, however, after an incident which he described as "deeply offensive" in 2018, he cut ties with the company. In May 2017, Tesfaye had a limited edition pop up sale for the "Starboy 2017 Limited Capsule Collection". The collections were available in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami Beach, Houston, Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Tesfaye has collaborated with artists and designers such as Kidult, Alexander Wang and Futura for small-lived and sometimes exclusive capsule collections.

In October 2017, Tesfaye began marketing and promotion on a partnership with Marvel Comics on Instagram. A week later, he attended New York Comic-Con and it was revealed that a Starboy comic book would be released on June 13, 2018, with the title character being a superhero modelled after himself. In August 2018, XO released a collection of apparel in collaboration with A Bathing Ape. They released another collection in January 2020.

In April 2019, Tesfaye bought ownership in esports company OverActive Media Group, the owners of Splyce and Overwatch League team Toronto Defiant, and will serve as the company's global ambassador.

On August 31, 2020, Variety reported that Tesfaye partnered with TD Bank to launch Black Hxouse, an entrepreneurial initiative. On September 9, 2020, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $221 million joint venture with Hxouse for Black Canadian entrepreneurs.

Personal life

Relationships

Tesfaye began dating model Bella Hadid in early 2015. The couple were first seen together in May at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and Hadid starred in his music video for "In the Night" a few months later. They appeared as a couple at the 2016 Grammy Awards. On November 11, 2016, it was reported that the couple had split due to their conflicting schedules. Tesfaye reportedly started dating Selena Gomez in January 2017 and they moved in together temporarily in September of that year, but broke up a month later. By May 2018, Tesfaye and Hadid had started dating again, before splitting up once more in August 2019. The two were in touch again nine months later, in June 2020. In February 2021, the Weeknd denied rumors of his involvement with Spanish singer Rosalía.

Drug use

Tesfaye often used drugs to help get over his writer's block on earlier albums, and also abused illegal substances such as "ketamine, cocaine, MDMA, mushrooms, and cough syrup". Speaking in December 2013, he said that drugs were a "crutch" for him when it came to writing music. On social media, he typically suffixed his first name with "xo", which is often used as an emoticon for "a kiss and a hug". According to writer Hermione Hoby, this was Tesfaye's intention, though others believe it was a reference to his recreational use of ecstasy and oxycodone, part of the slogan "XO 'til we overdose". He later altered the handles on his social media to reflect his stage name in preparation for the release of Starboy.

Hairstyle

Tesfaye's hairstyle, which has been described as his most recognizable trait, has been claimed to be partly inspired by Brooklyn graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. In an interview, he detailed that he began growing it out in 2011 and remarked at how easy it was to maintain with "a hard shampoo every once in a while". He eventually cut his hair in 2016, prior to the release of Starboy.

Hobbies

In his spare time, Tesfaye enjoys watching television and playing video games such as The Last of Us.

Residences

In 2017, the Weeknd purchased a new 13,500 square foot mansion in Hidden Hills, California for $18.5 million. In November 2019, he purchased an 8,200 square foot penthouse in the Beverly West building in Westwood, Los Angeles for $21 million.

Politics

Despite having lived in a condominium apartment in Trump International Hotel and Tower in Toronto, Tesfaye and Belly cancelled an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in May 2016 due to Donald Trump being present.

In January 2017, The Weeknd criticized Donald Trump's boasts regarding women.

Religion

Tesfaye was raised as an Ethiopian Orthodox. When asked about his religious beliefs in 2020, Tesfaye said "I dunno...everything is a test, and if you are religious or spiritual, you have to go through things."

Philanthropy

After being presented with a Bikila Award for Professional Excellence in 2014, Tesfaye donated $50,000 to the University of Toronto to help them start a course on Ge'ez, the classic language of Ethiopia. He stated that he "was proud to support his hometown by sharing the brilliant, ancient history of Ethiopia." In August 2016 he continued donations to the University in the creation of a new Ethiopian Studies program. In May 2016, during Orthodox Easter, Tesfaye donated $50,000 to the St. Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Toronto, Canada, a church he attended growing up.

In December 2015, he worked with Ryan Seacrest's foundation to visit Children's Hospital in Atlanta.

In June 2017, Tesfaye donated $100,000 to the Suubi Health Center, a maternity and children's medical facility in Budondo, Uganda. Tesfaye was inspired to support the center after learning of his friend French Montana's work with Global Citizen and Mama Hope to help raise awareness for Suubi and the people of Uganda.

In April 2020, Tesfaye relaunched his record label XO's popular line of non-medical cloth face masks in an effort to raise money for the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund, which is a campaign launched by the Grammys to help musicians affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was announced that 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the masks will be donated to the relief fund. With the profit, Tesfaye donated $500,000 each to MusiCares and $500,000 to his hometown front-line hospital workers of the Scarborough Health Network in Ontario, Canada for a total of $1 million to COVID-19 relief.

In the context of media outlets reporting cases of police brutality, in July 2016, he expressed disdain, tweeting "blue lives murder". In August 2016, Tesfaye donated $250,000 to Black Lives Matter. In May 2020, in response to the murder of George Floyd, the George Floyd protests, and mass racial violence in the United States, Tesfaye donated $500,000 to Black Lives Matter, Colin Kaepernick's Know Your Rights Camp, and the National Bail Out; he also posted on his official Instagram account to spread awareness.

On August 7, 2020, Tesfaye held The Weeknd Experience, an interactive virtual concert on TikTok, to raise funds for the Equal Justice Initiative. Five days later, it was reported to have drawn in 2 million viewers and raised over $350,000 for the non-profit organization.

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 for their Ethiopic program including a $30,000 donation by Tesfaye.

On April 4, 2021, Tesfaye announced that he would donate $1 million through World Food Programme to his motherland of Ethiopia in response to the civil unrest causing the death of innocent civilians.

In May 2021, Tesfaye was among the celebrities expressing solidarity for civilians who died as a result of the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis.

Controversies and legal issues

In January 2015, Tesfaye was arrested for allegedly punching a Las Vegas Police Department officer after he was taken into an elevator to break up a fight. He pleaded no contest and was sentenced to 50 hours of community service.

In December 2015, Tesfaye was sued by Cutting Edge Music, who alleged that the bassline for "The Hills" had been taken from a composition featured in the score for the 2013 sci-fi film The Machine. One of the producers of the song was alleged to have sent a private Twitter message to Tom Raybould, the composer of the film's score, to tell him about the sample.

In September 2018, Tesfaye and Daft Punk were sued for allegedly stealing the rhythm from a poet, singer, and songwriter named Yasminah. Tesfaye denied the allegations.

In April 2019, Tesfaye was sued by British trio William Smith, Brian Clover, and Scott McCulloch, who accused Tesfaye of plagiarizing their song "I Need to Love" in order to create his song "A Lonely Night". They sought $150,000 from Tesfaye and Belly in lieu of copyright infringement. Their original suit was summarily dismissed, with the court ruling that they had failed to show that Tesfaye or anyone else involved in making "A Lonely Night" had access to their song or that the works were substantially similar. The plaintiffs filed an amended claim based on secondary infringement, which is still in litigation.

Awards and nominations

Tesfaye has won three Grammy Awards, eight Billboard Music Awards, five American Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, nine Juno Awards, and has been nominated for one Academy Award. He was awarded the Allan Slaight Award by Canada's Walk of Fame for "making a positive impact in the fields of music, film, literature, visual or performing arts, sports, innovation or philanthropy".

Discography

Studio albums

• Kiss Land (2013)
• Beauty Behind the Madness (2015)
• Starboy (2016)
• After Hours (2020)

Filmography

Film

Television

Tours

• The Fall Tour (2012)
• The Kiss Land Fall Tour (2013)
• King of the Fall Tour (2014)
• The Madness Fall Tour (2015)
• Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour (2017)
• The Weeknd Asia Tour (2018)
• The After Hours Tour (2022)

References

1. ^ Eells, Josh (October 21, 2015). "Sex, Drugs and R&B: Inside The Weeknd's Dark Twisted Fantasy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018.
2. Bi, Ninfa. "The Reasons Why The Weeknd is at the Top of His Career". Vocal Media. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2020. The Canadian artist is the favorite among the millennials because of his original and eccentric style.
3. "The Weeknd". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2053344. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020.
4. ^ Kameir, Rawiya; Hockley-Smith, Sam; Mistry, Anupa (March 21, 2016). "How House of Balloons Changed R&B". The Fader. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Five years since its veiled release, a conversation about The Weeknd's debut and its influence on contemporary pop music...The album was documenting a nascent scene that has gone on to shift the cultural paradigm of Toronto, and it did so through a sound that has had a lasting effect on contemporary pop music.
5. Wimmer, Micah (March 21, 2018). "On the Weeknd, House of Balloons, and Its Massive Influence". Medium. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Listening to House of Balloons now, years after its initial release, its influence stands out as much as its quality. It might not be fully accurate to name it as the first so-called alternative R&B album, the one that set the stage for Frank Ocean, FKA Twigs, Rhye, Tinashe, and Miguel's more experimental work, but regardless, it still seems like a dividing line in the progression of R&B in the 2010s.
6. Nazareth, Errol (March 28, 2012). "THE WEEKND CHANGES THE GAME FOR HIP-HOP AND R&B". SOCAN. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. "Changing the game" and "takin' it to the next level" are both well-worn clichés in hip-hop and R&B...Enter Toronto's The Weeknd (a.k.a. Abel Tesfaye), one of a handful of artists who's helping restore widespread faith and critical respect in both genres.
7. John, Elton (September 22, 2020). "THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE OF 2020 – The Weeknd". Time. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
8. "House of Balloons – The Weeknd". Metacritic. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
9. "59th Annual GRAMMY Awards". 59th Annual Grammy Awards. November 28, 2017. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018.
10. "After Hours by The Weeknd reviews | Any Decent Music". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on March 21, 2020.
11. Trust, Gary (March 8, 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo's 'Drivers License' Leads Hot 100 for 8th Week, The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' Marks a Year in Top 10". Billboard. {{cite news}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help)
12. Tyska, Jane (February 7, 2021). "Photos: The Weeknd plays Super Bowl LV halftime show". The Mercury News.
13. ^ "The Weeknd". Grammy Awards. Archived from the original on April 19, 2017.
14. Alston, Trey (November 19, 2020). "Soul Train Awards '20: Here's Why Each R&B/Soul Male Nominee Deserves The Top Spot – The Weeknd". BET. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020.
15. ^ Walker, Howard (June 23, 2020). "Home of the Week: Inside The Weeknd's Gorgeous $25 Million LA Mansion and Its Neon-Lit Car Garage". Robb Report.
16. ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (September 13, 2013). "The Weeknd Reveals How He Got His Name... And Where The 'E' Went". MTV News. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
17. ^ Caramanica, Jon (July 27, 2015). "Can The Weeknd Turn Himself into the Biggest Pop Star in the World?". The New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on October 13, 2015.
18. ^ Mistry, Anupa (December 23, 2011). "Daily Disc: The Weeknd's 'Echoes Of Silence'". Toronto Standard. MeshSquared Ventures. Archived from the original on November 29, 2019.
19. Kellman, Andy. "The Weeknd Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 13, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
20. Rivera, Joe (February 7, 2021). "Who is The Weeknd? Super Bowl 55 halftime show performer's songs, lyrics & more to know". Sporting News. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye (born Feb. 16, 1990), is a Canadian alternative R&B singer-songwriter who rose to prominence in the early 2010s with his "Trilogy" mixtape. ...... Growing up in Toronto, Ontario, Tesfaye was raised by his mother and grandmother...
21. "Is The Weeknd Ethiopian?". Capital Xtra.
22. Ledbetter, Carly (February 11, 2016). "9 things You Need To Know About The Weeknd". HuffPost. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
23. LAMB, KARAS (September 16, 2013). "The Weeknd Reveals The Origin Of His Name + More". Okayplayer. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
24. ^ Wagstaff, Keith; Swanson, David. "10 Things You Should Know About the Weeknd". GQ. Archived from the original on July 4, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
25. "Scarborough native The Weeknd scores seven Grammy nominations". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
26. Mistry, Anupa (October 30, 2015). "Why The Weeknd is truly Toronto's very own". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
27. ^ McGuire, Patrick (April 2012). "How the Producer of The Weeknd's Breakout Tracks Got Majorly Screwed". Vice. New York. Archived from the original on December 24, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
28. Caramanica, Jon (December 26, 2010). "Screams That Charmed, and Other Overlooked Highlights". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
29. Fitzmaurice, Larry (March 4, 2011). "The Weeknd – What You Need". Archived from the original on March 26, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
30. Stewart, Allison (March 14, 2011). "Singles File: Da Phuture, The Weeknd, Fever Ray". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 8, 2013.
31. Shepherd, Julianne Escobedo (March 23, 2011). "Love and Other Drugs: The Weeknd's Altered-State R&B". WNET. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020.
32. @theweeknd (October 31, 2012). "noise ep was bunch of songs leaked by salty producers and found AFTER HOB dropped. demo's written as a teen to get recognition. xo" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
33. Ramirez, Erika (March 21, 2011). "Say Hello to The Weeknd, Drake Co-Signs". MTV. Archived from the original on October 12, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
34. "25 best Canadian debut albums ever" Archived September 6, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. CBC Music, June 16, 2017.
35. "House of Balloons Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
36. "Polaris Music Prize". Polaris Music Prize. Archived from the original on April 9, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
37. Ritchie, Kevin (July 25, 2011). The Weeknd's perfect premiere Archived December 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.NOW Toronto. Retrieved March 28, 2012
38. Fitzmaurice, Larry (July 3, 2011). "The Weeknd to Play Drake's OVO Festival". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
39. Berry, Peter A. (November 16, 2017). "Drake Sets The Record Straight On How Much The Weeknd Wroteon Take Care Album". XXL Mag. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
40. Lau, Melody (July 25, 2011). "Mysterious R&B singer sells out first show". Rolling Stone. New York City. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
41. ^ Dunlevy, T'Cha (March 23, 2012). "365 days of Weeknd: We chart Abel Tesfaye's rise to fame a year after House of Balloons" Archived March 21, 2012, at the Library of Congress Web Archives .National Post. Retrieved March 27, 2012
42. "Echoes Of Silence The Weeknd reveals final part of the Balloons Trilogy The Line Of Best Fit". theLineofBestFit.com. December 22, 2011. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2013.
43. ^ Kellman, Andy. "The Weeknd – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
44. ^ Snapes, Laura (April 16, 2012). "Abel Tesfaye makes his U.S. debut". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
45. Krishnamurthy, Sowmya (April 29, 2012). "The Weeknd Mesmerizes at Bowery Ballroom". Rolling Stone. New York. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
46. Tovar, Luis. "The Weeknd announces first ever tour". prettymuchamazing.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2012.
47. Lough, Kate (May 31, 2012). "Wireless Festival 2012". London Evening Standard.
48. "THE WEEKND, CHIDDY BANG & MORE FOR WIRELESS 2012". DIY. March 27, 2012.
49. ^ "The Weeknd covers Michael Jackson as he plays his debut UK show". NME. London. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
50. Hampp, Andrew (November 12, 2012). "The Weeknd & Reps Talk Clearing Samples, Touring For 'Trilogy' Release". Billboard. New York. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
51. Battan, Carrie (October 2, 2012). "The Weeknd Shares 'Rolling Stone' Video, Trilogy Artwork". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
52. Trilogy (CD liner notes). The Weeknd. Republic Records. 2012. 3719793.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
53. "Trilogy – The Weeknd". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
54. Caulfield, Keith (October 10, 2012). "One Direction Tops Billboard 200 Chart, 'Twilight' Debuts at No. 3". Billboard. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on February 24, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
55. "Gold & Platinum Searchable Database". Recording Industry Association of America.
56. "Gold and Platinum Search". Music Canada. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013.
57. "Sound of 2013 Profiles: The Weeknd". BBC. December 9, 2012. Archived from the original on December 13, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
58. Nostro, Lauren (May 16, 2013). "Listen: The Weeknd "Kiss Land"". Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2013.
59. Williott, Carl (July 22, 2013). "The Weeknd Unveils 'Kiss Land' Release Date & Cover Artwork". Idolator.
60. "The Weeknd's 'Kiss Land' Arrives on August 27th, "Belong to the World" Snippet". ThisGoesIn. July 13, 2013. Archived from the original on July 23, 2013.
61. "Keith Urban Edges The Weeknd for No. 1 Debut on Billboard 200". Billboard. December 1, 2012. Archived from the original on September 19, 2013.
62. "Kiss Land Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
63. Payne, Chris (November 4, 2013). "The Weeknd To Open For Justin Timberlake On '20/20 Experience' Tour". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
64. Hakimian, Rob (November 19, 2013). "Album Review: Various Artists – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Soundtrack". Consequence. Archived from the original on December 11, 2018.
65. Lee, Ashley (February 18, 2014). "[Audio] Beyonce's 'Drunk in Love': Kanye West, The Weeknd Release Remixes". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
66. "The Weeknd touring w/ Schoolboy Q & Jhene Aiko, playing Barclays Center (dates); SBQ played Central Park". BrooklynVegan. June 26, 2014. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014.
67. "Ida Maria Gets Exclamatory". Idolator. March 19, 2008. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
68. "Ariana Grande and The Weeknd Team Up In 'Love Me Harder' Video". Rap-Up. October 3, 2014. Archived from the original on October 5, 2014.
69. Cox, Jamieson (February 28, 2016). "Oscars 2016: Watch The Weeknd reenact his sultry video for Earned It". The Verge.
70. Beauchemin, Molly. "Janelle Monáe Performs "Yoga", The Weeknd Performs "Earned It" with Alicia Keys at the BET Awards". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
71. Lockett, Dee. "The Weeknd Returns With 'The Hills,' Which Probably Isn't About Lauren Conrad". Vulture. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
72. McIntyre, Hugh (June 28, 2019). "The Weeknd's No. 1 Hit 'The Hills' Becomes His First Diamond-Certified Single". Forbes.
73. Lamare, Carl (June 28, 2019). "The Weeknd's 'The Hills' Certified Diamond: Exclusive". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
74. Kreps, Daniel (June 8, 2015). "Hear The Weeknd's Funky New Song 'Can't Feel My Face'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015.
75. Trust, Gary (July 1, 2015). "Wiz Khalifa No. 1 on Hot 100 'Again,' Selena Gomez Debuts at No. 9". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
76. Trust, Gary (August 10, 2015). "The Weeknd Tops Hot 100 With 'Can't Feel My Face,' One Direction Debuts at No. 3". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
77. "Alone on the podium: The Weeknd becomes first artist to take over Billboard R&B chart" Archived March 1, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. CBC Music, July 17, 2015.
78. "Deadmau5 & The Weeknd headline FVDED IN THE PARK 2015". Daily Hive. December 19, 2017.
79. "Apple's new musical faces – Drake and The Weeknd". Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
80. "Latest Apple Music ads debut during MTV VMAs, feature The Weeknd & playlists". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2015.
81. "The Weeknd's 'Beauty Behind the Madness' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
82. "The Weeknd spends third week at No. 1 on Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
83. "ARIA Albums : The Weeknd Takes Top Spot On Australian Chart". Noise11. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
84. "Top 20 Albums". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 7, 2015.
85. "The Weeknd's new album is coming Aug. 28". USA Today. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 15, 2015.
86. "The Weeknd announces The Madness Fall Tour". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
87. "The Weeknd Announces The Madness Fall Tour With Travi$ Scott, Halsey & Banks". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 23, 2015. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
88. "Global Music Report" (PDF). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. April 12, 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 30, 2016. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
89. "Spotify's Year in Music: Drake Most Streamed Artist, Major Lazer & DJ Snake Had Top Song". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 2, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
90. "The Weeknd, 'Beauty Behind the Madness'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2017.
91. "The Weeknd Doubles Up in Hot 100's Top Three". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2015.
92. "Belly 'Might Not' (ft. The Weeknd)". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
93. "Meek Mill Reveals 'Dreams Worth More Than Money' Features". hiphopdx. Archived from the original on November 30, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2015.
94. ^ "Demi Lovato & The Weeknd To Perform On 'Saturday Night Live' This Season". Idolator. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
95. "Justin Bieber, Kanye West, The Weeknd, & more featuring on Travi$ Scott's 'Rodeo" album". Inquisitr. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
96. "Listen: The Weeknd Surprises Fans By Dropping Two New Songs!". Kiss 92.5. December 27, 2015. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2016.
97. "The Weeknd & Demi Lovato Announced as 'SNL' Musical Guests". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
98. Guiducci, Mark (May 3, 2016). "The Weeknd on Going From Indie R&B Enigma to the Pacesetting Prince of Pop". Vogue.
99. Hooton, Christopher (February 12, 2016). "The Life of Pablo tracklist: Kanye West's new album features Frank Ocean, The Weeknd and Young Thug". The Independent.
100. "Spotify and PlayStation Celebrate One Year Together and Hit More Than Five Billion Streams on PlayStation Music". Spotify. Archived from the original on April 23, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
101. "Spotify and PlayStation® Celebrate One Year Together and Hit More Than Five Billion Streams on PlayStation™Music". Scoop.it. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
102. "The Weeknd Is Reportedly Working with Daft Punk". August 23, 2016. Archived from the original on August 24, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
103. Morris, Jesse (August 24, 2016). "It Sounds Like a Weeknd and Cashmere Cat Collab Is on the Way". Complex. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
104. Pearce, Sheldon (September 21, 2016). "The Weeknd Announces New Album Starboy". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
105. "Hear the Weeknd's new track with Daft Punk, Starboy". The Guardian. September 22, 2016. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
106. Zwilling, Eric (September 21, 2016). "Listen to Daft Punk's new collaboration with The Weeknd, 'Starboy'". Dancing Astronaut. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
107. "Watch The Weeknd – Mania on YouTube". November 23, 2016. Archived from the original on November 24, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2017 – via YouTube.
108. "Watch The Weeknd's New Short Film Mania". Pitchfork. November 23, 2016. Archived from the original on November 24, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
109. Brandle, Lars. "Future Releases New Album 'HNDRXX' Featuring The Weeknd and Rihanna: Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
110. Blistein, John. "Hear the Weeknd's Sultry 'Some Way' Collaboration With Nav". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
111. Bowsher, Allison. "Lana Del Rey Releases 'Lust For Life' Single with the Weeknd". Much.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
112. "NewsAlert: Starboy winds best urban contemporary album for the Weeknd". National Post. January 28, 2018. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
113. Boykins, Austin. "TDE Reveals Loaded Tracklist for 'Black Panther' Soundtrack". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
114. "Is The Weeknd Dropping a New Album on Friday?". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
115. "Is The Weeknd Dropping A New Album This Week?". Vibe. March 27, 2018. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
116. "The Weeknd teases new song release | IOL Entertainment". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
117. "Has Someone Accidentally Leaked News of the Weeknd's New Album?". Clash Magazine. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
118. Sargent, Jordan (March 29, 2018). "The Weekend Announces New Album 'My Dear Melancholy,'". Spin. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
119. "Stream The Weeknd's "My Dear Melancholy" EP". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
120. "The Weeknd Announces New Beats 1 Radio Show Memento Mori". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
121. "The Weeknd in Japan (Singles Collection)" (in Japanese). Universal Music Group. Archived from the original on October 20, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
122. "The Weeknd Performs First Japan Show With Special Guest Kenshi Yonezu". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 20, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
123. "Gesaffelstein on Youtube". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
124. "Listen to Gesaffelstein and the Weeknd's New Song "Lost in the Fire"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
125. "SZAThe WeekndTravis Scott 'Power Is Power'". Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
126. "SZA, The Weeknd and Travis Scott Share Video For 'Game of Thrones' Inspired Track". Billboard. May 5, 2019. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
127. Gwee, Karen (September 10, 2019). "The Weeknd recorded music with Oneohtrix Point Never intended for 'Uncut Gems'". NME. Archived from the original on September 29, 2019. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
128. "The Weeknd to Release New Single 'Blinding Lights' on Black Friday". Rap-Up. Archived from the original on November 28, 2019. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
129. "The Weeknd Shooting New Music Video in Las Vegas". TMZ. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2019.
130. @TheAffinityMag (November 25, 2019). "🚨 NEW MUSIC FROM @theweeknd 🚨 Abel is dropping 'Blinding Lights' TOMORROW and 'Heartless' on Wednesday. Who's excited?! 🤩" (Tweet). Retrieved November 26, 2019 – via Twitter.
131. "Screenshots of Instagram Story on November 26, 2019". YouTube Music. Archived from the original on November 26, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
132. "Five Burning Questions: Billboard Staffers Discuss The Weeknd's Top 40 Debut For 'Heartless'". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
133. Trust, Gary (March 30, 2020). "The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' Hits No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100, Doja Cat's 'Say So' Enters Top 10". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 31, 2020. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
134. Trust, Gary (December 9, 2019). "The Weeknd's 'Heartless' Hits No. 1 on Hot 100, Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas Is You' Returns to No. 3 High". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 16, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
135. Brandle, Lars (February 19, 2020). "The Weeknd Sets 'After Hours' Release Date, Shares Dark Title Track: Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 13, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
136. Young, Alex (March 8, 2020). "The Weeknd Debuts New Song, Appears in Sketch on SNL". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on March 20, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
137. Strauss, Matthew (March 20, 2020). "Listen to the Weeknd's New Album After Hours". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 20, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
138. Caulfield, Keith (March 29, 2020). "The Weeknd's 'After Hours' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart With Biggest Week of 2020". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 29, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
139. @theweeknd (March 29, 2020). "nothing compares, missed you, final lullaby..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
140. Trust, Gary (April 1, 2020). "The Weeknd on Being the First Artist to Top These 5 Charts at Once: 'It Feels Like a Huge Blessing' (Exclusive)". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
141. "The Weeknd also repeats at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Hot 100 & Artist 100". Billboard. April 8, 2020. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
142. "American Dad!' Gets TBS Return Date – Watch The Promo". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
143. "Ariana Grande And The Weeknd's 'Off The Table' Lyrics Are About Her Finding Love After Losing Mac Miller". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
144. "Ariana Grande Unveils 'Positions' Track List". Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
145. "The Weeknd Joins Oneohtrix Point Never on New Song 'No Nightmares'". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
146. "The Weeknd Sings in Spanglish on Fiery 'Hawái' Remix With Maluma: Watch the Video". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
147. "The Weeknd – Trailer (Official Live Performance) | Vevo". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
148. "Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Shawn Mendes to Perform at Virtual iHeartRadio Jingle Ball". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
149. Aswad, Jem (November 24, 2020). "The Weeknd Shockingly Shut Out of Grammy Nominations, and Other Snubs and Surprises". Variety. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
150. Aniftos, Rania (November 24, 2020). "The Weeknd Calls Out Recording Academy After Nominations Snub: 'The Grammys Remain Corrupt'". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
151. Haylock, Zoe (November 24, 2020). "The Weeknd Received Zero Grammy Nominations, Responds on Twitter". Vulture. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved November 25, 2020.
152. Drury, Sharareh (November 24, 2020). "The Weeknd Lashes Out at Recording Academy: "The Grammys Remain Corrupt"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
153. "Entertainment Tonight The Weeknd Says His 3 GRAMMY Wins Mean Nothing to Him Now". Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
154. "The Weeknd Calls Grammys 'Corrupt,' Despite Inspiring Their Recent Rule Change: 'I Will Not Be Submitting Music in the Future' (EXCLUSIVE)". Retrieved May 4, 2021.
155. "Grammys Ready Pandemic Show, as the Weeknd Boycotts Future Awards". Archived from the original on March 12, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
156. "Super Bowl LV: The Weeknd announced as Pepsi Halftime Show performer". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
157. "Super Bowl halftime show live: The Weeknd performs with dancers in face bandages at 2021 game". The Independent. February 8, 2021. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
158. Steussy, Lauren; DeNinno, Nadine (February 8, 2021). "What happened to The Weeknd's face at Super Bowl 2021 halftime show?". New York Post. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
159. "Best of The Weeknd and the Super Bowl 55 halftime show". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
160. "The Weeknd on the Crew That Boosted Him From 'Basically Homeless' to the Super Bowl". Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
161. Caramanica, Jon (February 8, 2021). "The Weeknd Emerges From the Shadows at the Super Bowl Halftime Show". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
162. "Super Bowl halftime show review: The Weeknd wasn't great (but it's not all his fault)". For The Win. February 8, 2021. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
163. Kornhaber, Spencer (February 8, 2021). "The First Super Bowl Halftime Show About the Depravity of Halftime Shows". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
164. Patten, Dominic (February 8, 2021). "The Weeknd's Super Bowl Halftime Show Scores A Touchdown With A Technical Spectacle & Mixtape Of Hits – Review". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
165. Julious, Britt (February 7, 2021). "Review: The Weeknd's Super Bowl halftime performance was an expensive nothing". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
166. Fekau, Mesfin (February 7, 2021). "Review: Yawn, is it Monday yet? The Weeknd bores at halftime". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
167. Caulfield, Keith (February 11, 2021). "The Weeknd's Streams Increase 41% After Super Bowl Halftime Show". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
168. Caulfield, Keith (February 9, 2021). "The Weeknd's Sales Up 385% After Super Bowl Halftime Show". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
169. Scott, Damien (July 15, 2013). "The Weeknd: Kiss And Tell (2013 Cover Story)". Complex. Archived from the original on June 14, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
170. Roberts, Randall (December 17, 2012). "Review: Abel Tesfaye, a.k.a. The Weeknd, has hall smoldering". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
171. Trust, Gary (April 1, 2020). "The Weeknd on Being the First Artist to Top These 5 Charts At Once: 'It Feels Like a Huge Blessing' (Exclusive)". Billboard.
172. PEARIS, BILL (September 17, 2020). "Cocteau Twins' vast influence lives on :: 24 great artists they've inspired". BrooklynVegan.
173. ^ Hoby, Hermione (November 8, 2012). "The Weeknd: Sounds and sensibility". The Guardian. London. section G2, p. 12. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
174. ^ Cohen, Ian (November 13, 2012). "The Weeknd: Trilogy". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
175. Robbins, Winston (December 7, 2011). "Rookie of the Year: The Weeknd". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on January 12, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
176. ^ Considine, J. D. (November 17, 2012). "How The Weeknd became R&B's next big thing". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
177. "The Weeknd | The Range Place". therangeplace.boards.net. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
178. "r/singing – How is The Weeknd (Abel Testaye) singing?". reddit. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
179. Hogan, Marc (October 26, 2012). "The Weeknd Imbues 'Enemy' With the Smiths' Seductive Power". Spin. New York. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
180. MacInnes, Paul (November 15, 2012). "The Weeknd: Trilogy – review". The Guardian. London. section G2, p. 23. Archived from the original on October 30, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
181. Morgan, Nakiya (July 15, 2013). "The Weeknd's Kiss Land Album Captures First Experiences Outside Of Toronto". MTV News. Archived from the original on November 10, 2015. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
182. ^ Navarro, Allan (March 28, 2020). "The Weeknd Returns to Form With Impassioned Vocals, Atmospheric Production on 'After Hours'". The Hoya. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
183. ^ Billboard Staff. "Grammys 2016 Preview: The Weeknd, D'Angelo and More Soulful Singers Nominated for Best R&B Song and Best Urban Contemporary Album" Archived January 7, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. Billboard. February 13, 2016.
184. McDuffie, Candace (March 24, 2020). "The Weeknd – After Hours". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on March 24, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
185. Mistry, Anupa (August 31, 2015). "The Dark Knight Returns: A Conversation With the Weeknd". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
186. Reed, Ryan (November 2, 2016). "The Weeknd Talks David Bowie, Prince Influences on New Album". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
187. Slingerland, Calum (February 6, 2016). "The Weeknd's New Album Is Inspired by Bad Brains, Talking Heads and the Smiths". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
188. Schwadron, Eli (December 14, 2016). "50 Cent and Wu-Tang Are Influences on The Weeknd's New 'Starboy' Album Read More: 50 Cent, Wu-Tang Are Influences on The Weeknd's New 'Starboy' Album". XXL. Archived from the original on March 25, 2017.
189. Exposito, Suzy; Harris, Keith; Mistry, Anupa; Murray, Nick; Spanos, Brittany (October 21, 2015). "12 Great Songs That Wouldn't Exist Without the Weeknd". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
190. The Weeknd Says Eminem Crashed Jay Z on 'Renegade,' Talks "The Hills" Remix. Southpawer. November 25, 2016. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021 – via YouTube.
191. "The Weeknd Says Eminem Destroyed 'The Hills' Remix and Jay Z on 'Renegade'". Southpawer. November 25, 2016. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019.
192. "The Weeknd Recalls Working With Daft Punk: 'They're One of the Reasons I Make Music'". Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
193. Battan, Carrie. "The Weeknd Giving Away Kiss Land Condoms". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
194. Hudson, Alex (September 26, 2013). "The Weeknd Gets His Own 'Kiss Land' Condoms". Exclaim!.
195. Keating, Lauren (November 4, 2015). "The Weeknd Launches A Vape That Plays His Hit Single 'The Hills' As You Smoke". Tech Times. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
196. "The Weeknd Gets Limited Version of Pax 2 Vaporizer". Por Homme. Pausr Media LLC. November 13, 2015. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
197. Miragliotta, Joe (February 4, 2016). "PAX 2 is a Refined and Durable Vaporizer Unlike Any Other". Joe's Daily. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
198. Banning, Tristan (November 6, 2015). "Pax Labs X The Weeknd Presents The Madness Tour Limited Edition Pax 2". Sidewalk Hustle. Archived from the original on November 14, 2016.
199. ^ Cox, Jamieson (November 4, 2015). "The Weeknd is teaming up with Pax Labs to create the ultimate fashion vape". The Verge. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
200. Mench, Chris (September 29, 2016). "The Weeknd Partners With Puma as New Creative Collaborator and Ambassador". Complex Networks. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
201. ^ Tucker, Alexa. "Where Are The Weeknd's Pop-Up Shops? If You Live in One Of These Eight Cities, You're in Luck". Bustle. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
202. ^ Espinoza, Joshua (May 3, 2017). "Here's Your First Look at the Weeknd's Starboy 2017 Pop-Up Shop Collection". Complex Networks. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
203. "The Weeknd and PUMA Officially Unveil Their "Parallel" Sneaker". Hypebeast. Hypebeast. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
204. "A Closer Look at The Weeknd x PUMA XO Collection Launch in NYC". Hypebeast. Hypebeast. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2018.
205. Christian, Scott (February 2, 2017). "The Weeknd and H&M Team Up for the New Spring Icons Collection". Esquire.
206. "THE WEEKND PARTNERS WITH H&M ON MEN'S COLLECTION". Rap-Up. January 11, 2016.
207. Yoo, Noah (January 8, 2018). "The Weeknd Cuts Ties With H&M Over "Deeply Offensive" Photo". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
208. Hasse, Lemola. "HYPEBEAST Exclusive: WANGXO Apparel Collection". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
209. Sajonas, Felson. "A Better Look at The Weeknd and Futura's Limited-Edition XO Capsule Collection". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
210. Patos, Robert. "The Weeknd Teases a Cryptic Image Hinting Towards a Collaborative Project With Marvel". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
211. Coleman II, C. Vernon (October 8, 2017). "THE WEEKND TEAMS UP WITH MARVEL TO RELEASE 'STARBOY' COMIC BOOK". XXL. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
212. Saponara, Michael (March 23, 2018). "Marvel Unveils 'The Weeknd Presents: Starboy' Comic Book Release Date". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
213. "BAPE® x XO". us.bape.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
214. "The Weeknd x BAPE Summer Capsule Collection Dropping August 4". Highsnobiety. July 30, 2018. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
215. Stavropoulos, Laura (January 8, 2020). "The Weeknd Reveals Latest XO And BAPE Capsule Collection | uDiscover". uDiscover Music. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
216. Davidson, Neil (April 10, 2019). "The Weeknd signs on as part owner, global ambassador of esports firm". CBC News. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
217. "The Weeknd Joins With TD Bank to Launch Black Hxouse Entrepreneurship Initiative". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
218. "Trudeau announces cash for loans, support to Black Canadian entrepreneurs". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
219. McDonald, Soraya Nadia (September 11, 2015). "Kylie Jenner and Bella Hadid are 18. Their boyfriends are 25. Why do their relationships elicit such different reactions". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015.
220. Lindig, Sarah (October 10, 2015). "Bella Hadid Spends Her Birthday Weekend with the Weeknd". Elle. Archived from the original on October 11, 2015.
221. Sisavat, Monica (February 16, 2016). "The Weeknd and Bella Hadid Made Their Red Carpet Debut at the Grammys". PopSugar. Archived from the original on May 30, 2016.
222. Tracy, Brianne (November 10, 2016). "The Weeknd and Bella Hadid Have Split: 'They Still Have a Great Deal of Love for One Another'". People. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021.
223. Yagoda, Maria (May 25, 2017). "Everything We Know About Selena Gomez and The Weeknd's Whirlwind Romance". People. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
224. Murphy, Desiree (September 11, 2017). "EXCLUSIVE: Selena Gomez and The Weeknd Temporarily Move Into an Apartment Together in New York City". Entertainment Tonight. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2017.
225. Chiu, Melody (October 30, 2017). "Selena Gomez and The Weeknd Split After 10 Months Together". People. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
226. Paasquini, Maria (May 12, 2018). "Bella Hadid and The Weeknd Let Loose at Cannes Film Festival 1 Day After Kissing". People. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
227. "Why Bella Hadid and The Weeknd Reportedly Broke Up for the Second Time". Elle. August 6, 2019. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
228. "Bella Hadid and The Weeknd Are 'in Touch' Again 9 Months After Split". Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
229. Walsh, Savannah (February 6, 2021). "Bella Hadid And The Weeknd's Complete Relationship Timeline, Through Every Breakup And Reconciliation". Elle.
230. Fisher, Luchina (December 5, 2016). "The Weeknd Opens Up About His 'Dark' Past". ABC News. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
231. "The Weeknd opens up about 'heavy' drug use". NME. December 3, 2016. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
232. "Why is The Weeknd's crew called 'XO'". Capital Xtra.
233. Dow, Gabriele (February 21, 2012). "The Weeknd is ready for take-off". The Torch. St. John's University. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
234. Leung, Andrew (February 10, 2016). "The Weeknd's Hair: It's More Than an Homage to Basquiat". Mic.
235. "5 '80s & '90s Artists Who May Have Inspired The Weeknd's New Haircut". Billboard. September 22, 2016. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
236. "Looks like The Weeknd is a fan of The Last of Us". Reddit. July 14, 2020.
237. Sowunmi, Jordan (January 15, 2016). "What It's Really Like To Be On Tour with the Weeknd And Travis Scott". The Fader. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
238. "The Weeknd spent some time off playing Mario Kart". Capital Xtra. January 27, 2021. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
239. Leitereg, Neal J. (November 21, 2019). "The Weeknd buys a penthouse in Westwood's Beverly West for $21 million". Los Angeles Times.
240. @theweeknd (February 23, 2015). "special thanks to the trump towers in toronto. endless inspiration in that condo" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
241. Goldstein, Jessica (May 27, 2016). "Trump Inspires The Weeknd To Cancel Jimmy Kimmel Performance". ThinkProgress. Center for American Progress. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016.
242. "The Weeknd, Belly Cancel 'Kimmel' Performance Because of Donald Trump Appearance". Billboard. Associated Press. May 25, 2016.
243. Britton, Luke Morgan (January 12, 2017). "The Weeknd on Trump's grope boasts: 'How do you even grab a pussy?'". NME.
244. Lockett, Dee (January 12, 2017). "The Weeknd Wonders How, Exactly, Donald Trump Would 'Grab Her by the Pussy'". Vulture.com.
245. Mamo, Heran. "The Weeknd Says His Song 'Faith' Recalls 'The Darkest Time of My Entire Life'". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021.
246. Carissimo, Justin (August 7, 2016). "The Weeknd donates $50,000 to language class at the University of Toronto". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
247. ^ Daly, Rhian (August 14, 2016). "The Weeknd has donated $250,000 to Black Lives Matter". Time. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
248. Min, Lilian (August 7, 2016). "The Weeknd donated $50,000 to a cause dear to his heart". HelloGiggles.
249. "The Weeknd Donates $50,000 to St. Mary Ethiopian Orthodox Church in Toronto". May 2, 2016. Archived from the original on February 18, 2021.
250. Natasha (December 17, 2015). "The Weeknd Does Charity Work Amidst Cheating Rumors + Do-Gooder 2 Chainz Donates Minivan To Family With Brain Damaged Son". Young, Black & Fabulous. Archived from the original on November 30, 2019.
251. "Ryan Seacrest on Facebook". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
252. Malkin, Marc. "The Weeknd Donates $100,000 to Health Center in Uganda". E!. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
253. "The Weeknd Brings Back XO Face Mask For COVID-19 Relief". HYPEBAE. April 23, 2020. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
254. Aswad, Jem (June 29, 2020). "The Weeknd Donates $1 Million to MusiCares' and His Hometown's Coronavirus Relief". Variety. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
255. @theweeknd (July 7, 2016). "BLUELIVESMURDER" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
256. @theweeknd (July 7, 2016). "bluelivesmurder" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
257. Melas, Chloe (August 11, 2016). "The Weeknd donates $250,000 to Black Lives Matter". CNN.
258. "The Weeknd gives $250,000 to Black Lives Matter". The Guardian. August 11, 2016. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
259. "The Weeknd Donated $500K to Racial Justice Initiatives: 'Please Give What You Can Even If It's a Small Amount'". June 2, 2020. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
260. "Cornell Presents: The Weeknd Experience – TikTok Live". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
261. "The Weeknd Virtual Concert on TikTok Drew Over 2M Viewers, Raised $350,000 for Equal Justice Initiative". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
262. "With support from The Weeknd, U of T's Ethiopic program soars past $500,000 endowment goal". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
263. "The Weeknd Donates $1 Million to Relief Efforts in Ethiopia". Retrieved April 4, 2021.
264. Nolan, Emma (May 11, 2021). "Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa and the Other Celebs Supporting Palestine Over Israel". Newsweek.
265. "The Weeknd Shares Instagram Posts Protesting Sheikh Jarrah Eviction". Haaretz. May 11, 2021.
266. Stutz, Colin (January 12, 2015). "The Weeknd Arrested For Punching Las Vegas Police Officer". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
267. "The Weeknd avoids jail time after punching police officer". The Guardian. October 23, 2015. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021.
268. "The Weeknd Pleads No Contest To Punching a Cop". TMZ. October 22, 2015. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
269. "The Weeknd Sued over 'The Hills'". TMZ. December 9, 2015. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
270. "The Weeknd sued over alleged similarities between 'The Hills' and sci-fi movie score". NME. December 10, 2015. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
271. "The Weeknd and Daft Punk Sued for Stealing 'Starboy'". TMZ. September 18, 2018. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
272. "The Weeknd Denies Stealing "Starboy" Beat From Somali-American Singer". May 18, 2019. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021.
273. Brittain, Blake (September 8, 2020). "The Weeknd's Copyright Win Fails to Justify Attorneys' Fees". Bloomberg Industry Group. Archived from the original on April 1, 2021.
274. "The Weeknd sued by British songwriters over 'A Lonely Night' plagiarism accusations". The Independent. April 4, 2019. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
275. "The Weeknd has move to dismiss song-theft lawsuit dismissed denied | Complete Music Update". Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
276. Bell, David (April 3, 2016). "The Weeknd really cleaned up this Juno Awards weekend". CBC News. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
277. "THE WEEKND HONOURED WITH ALLAN SLAIGHT AWARD FROM CANADA'S WALK OF FAME" (Press release). Cision. February 14, 2015. Archived from the original on February 14, 2015.
278. Willman, Chris (September 10, 2019). "How the Weeknd Came to Play Himself in the Safdie Brothers' Berserk 'Uncut Gems'". Variety. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
279. SNL Host Amy Schumer and The Weeknd Are Too Busy For Kate McKinnon. on YouTube
280. Margot Robbie hosts Saturday Night Live on October 1, 2016 with musical guest The Weeknd. on YouTube
281. "The Weeknd Debuts New Song 'Scared to Live,' Performs 'Blinding Lights' on 'SNL': Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
282. Michallon, Clémence (May 5, 2020). "The Weeknd makes cameo in 'American Dad!' and unveils new song about being a virgin". The Independent. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
283. ^ Aswad, Jem (May 4, 2020). "The Weeknd Talks About His Guest Spot on 'American Dad': Watch a New Trailer Here (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
284. Ford, Rebecca (June 27, 2020). "How The Weeknd's 'American Dad' Was the "Birth of a True Partnership"". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
285. American Dad – The Weeknd’s Dark Secret on YouTube
286. Jones, Damian (July 28, 2020). "The Weeknd makes cameo appearance on 'Robot Chicken'". NME. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
287. @theweeknd (February 3, 2021). "After Hours Tour 2022" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

External links

• Official website

v t e The Weeknd
Discography Videography Songs Awards and nominations
Studio albums	Kiss Land (2013) Beauty Behind the Madness (2015) Starboy (2016) After Hours (2020) Dawn FM (2022) Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025)
Mixtapes	House of Balloons (2011) Thursday (2011) Echoes of Silence (2011)
EPs	My Dear Melancholy (2018) After Hours (Remixes) (2020) The Dawn FM Experience (2022) Music from The Idol (2023)
Compilation albums	Trilogy (2012) The Weeknd in Japan (2018) The Highlights (2021)
Live albums	Live at SoFi Stadium (2023)
Tours and shows	King of the Fall Tour The Madness Fall Tour Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour The Weeknd Asia Tour Super Bowl LV halftime show After Hours til Dawn Tour
See also	XO Memento Mori The Idol Heart on My Sleeve Hurry Up Tomorrow
Category

• Biography
• Canada
• Music

• The Weeknd
• 1990 births
• 21st-century Canadian singers
• Amharic-language singers
• Black Canadian singers
• Black Lives Matter people
• Canadian contemporary R&B singers
• Canadian hip hop singers
• Canadian male singers
• Canadian male singer-songwriters
• Canadian people of Ethiopian descent
• Canadian philanthropists
• Canadian pop singers
• Canadian record producers
• Canadian tenors
• Grammy Award winners
• Juno Award for Album of the Year winners
• 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
• Living people
• Musicians from Toronto
• People involved in plagiarism controversies
• Republic Records artists
• Singers with a three-octave vocal range
• XO (record label)