The Weeknd
Jan 18, 2015
Abel Tesfaye, known by his stage name The Weeknd, is a Canadian PBR&B recording artist and record producer. In late 2010, Tesfaye anonymously uploaded several songs to YouTube under the name "The Weeknd". He released three nine-track mixtapes throughout 2011: House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence, which were critically acclaimed. The following year, he released a compilation album, Trilogy, consisting of remastered versions of the mixtape material and three additional songs. It was released under Republic Records and his own label XO. In 2013, he released his debut studio album Kiss Land, which was supported by the singles "Kiss Land", and "Live For".
The Weeknd has received praise from several music publications, including Pitchfork, MTV, BET, Rolling Stone, XXL and The Source. MTV's John Norris has dubbed him the "songbird of his generation" and the "best musical talent since Michael Jackson".
On September 30, 2014, the song "Love Me Harder" was released which is a duet between The Weeknd and Ariana Grande. The song went on to peak at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, greatly increasing The Weeknd's popularity through the United States. In December 23, he released "Earned It", the song was released as a single from the 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey.