Abel Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), 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". He is most notably recognized in 2014 for his duet with Ariana Grande on the single "Love Me Harder", which peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, his first top ten single on the chart to date.
The Weeknd has received praise from several music publications, including Pitchfork, MTV,
Rolling Stone,