Conquering the world. Today, The Weeknd has become one of the emblematic icons of American music with his songs mixing urban and pop sounds with disconcerting ease. However, Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, his real name, took a few years to reach the top of the charts. Originally from Ontario in Canada, The Weeknd was able to count, in the early 2010s, on the support of Drake, one of the most popular rappers across the Atlantic. Realizing his innate talent, the interpreter of One Dance mentions him on social networks, encouraging his many subscribers to discover this young talent. Taking advantage of this unexpected media exposure, The Weeknd puts his first mixtape online, entitled House of Balloons, on its website. And his first songs mix R’n’B, hip hop and soul – an effective cocktail – pleasing the critics and his first fans. Seeing an opportunity for global success, The Weeknd followed up with two more mixtapes, Thursday And Echoes of Silencein 2011. It was in 2012 that his career exploded and the beginning of his dream began.
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A global success
Performing his first concerts and obtaining his first gold record, the Canadian continues projects so as not to be forgotten. In 2013, his first real solo album, Kiss Land came out and met with worldwide success. Drake doesn’t let him down and the two artists collaborate together on a song from his album. Two years later, The Weeknd made a musical shift and dived into pop with his album entitled Beauty Behind The Madness. The Hills, Often, Can’t Feel My Face are global successes and, at the same time, made the soundtrack of Fifty Shades of grey. Again, successfully. In 2016, his pop turn is even more assumed with his new opus, Starboy which also met with grandiose success. His next two projects are part of a trilogy whose conclusion should take place this year, in 2024.
From music to the small screen
If music remains his favorite field, The Weeknd is making some forays into fashion. The interpreter of Sacrifice launches his clothing brand, called XO, and partners with American designer Alexander Wang. The collection was a great success with men in 2015. In 2023, the 34-year-old singer produced a sultry series with Lily-Rose Depp, The Idol. The two artists created an event at the Cannes Film Festival but the series did not meet with the expected success. On the heart side, The Weeknd remains rather discreet even though he made it official with model Bella Hadid in 2015. But the couple separated a year later.
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