The Weeknd
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Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, known professionally as The Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer who has become a defining figure in contemporary R&B and pop music. Born on February 16, 1990, in Toronto, Ontario, Tesfaye adopted his stage name as a tribute to the time he dropped out of high school at age 17, took his mattress, and left home one weekend, never to return. The spelling was altered to avoid trademark issues with the Canadian band The Weekend.

The Weeknd first rose to prominence in 2011 through the anonymous release of three critically acclaimed mixtapes: House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence. These projects, characterized by their dark, atmospheric production and vulnerable lyricism, helped pioneer the "alternative R&B" subgenre. After signing with Republic Records and establishing his own label, XO, he compiled these mixtapes into the remastered three-disc collection Trilogy in 2012.

In 2013, Tesfaye released his debut studio album, Kiss Land, which expanded on the cinematic sounds of his earlier work. He began a rapid ascent into the mainstream in 2014 with the release of "Often" and "Earned It," the latter of which was featured on the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack and served as his first major solo hit on the global charts.