Hot 21 Radio

The Weeknd

Making experimental, dark, and introspective R&B music, Canadian singer-songwriter Abel Tesfaye (February 16, 1990) was hailed as the future of urban pop while maintaining a persona shrouded in mystery. Raised by his Ethiopian grandmother in Toronto, Ontario, he dropped out of school at the age of 17 and started collaborating with producer Jeremy Rose, posting their early demos on his video-streaming channel under the name The Weeknd. Rose left the project, but the tracks quickly created interest among bloggers and critics and even won the approval of rap superstar Drake, who recruited him to appear on his single “Crew Love.” Mixtapes House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence further intensified interest before Trilogy (2012) compiled his recordings into a hit that reached Number 4 in the US and was praised for its ambient, melancholic feel. A world away from the swagger of most of his peers, The Weeknd earned comparisons to Marvin Gaye, Prince, Curtis Mayfield, and Frank Ocean for his chilling falsetto vocals and sonic ambition, but his shy personality and reluctance to do media interviews or promote his music created a mystique around him. Continuing to deal in slow, trippy tempos and atmospheric, heartbreaking soul, his debut studio album Kiss Land (2013) debuted at Number 2 in the US charts and confirmed The Weeknd's reputation as one of pop's most important new voices. He released his second album, Beauty Behind the Madness, in 2015 and with it began gathering up the awards including a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album. Single “The Hills” from the album also proved a success with the Number 1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 and a platinum certification by the RIAA. He followed this success with Starboy (2016), his third album, which reached Number 1 on the Billboard 200 and earned him another Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album. He collaborated with artists including Future, Kendrick Lamar, Daft Punk, and Lana Del Rey, and recorded music for the Black Panther film soundtrack. His first EP Dear Melancholy was released in 2018. In 2019, he starred in the film Uncut Gems and released collaborative singles “Lost in the Fire” with Gesaffelstein and “Power Is Power” with SZA and Travis Scott. Later that year, “Blinding Lights,” the lead single from his fourth album After Hours (2020), topped charts worldwide and climbed to Number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 before “Heartless” made it to the top of the US charts. Dawn FM, his nostalgia-ridden fifth full-length, was released in 2022 to great critical acclaim and landed at Number 2 on the Billboard 200. It featured cameos by Tyler the Creator and Lil Wayne and executive production by Oneohtrix Point Never. In 2023, The Weeknd starred in the HBO drama series The Idol, which he co-created with American actor and director Sam Levinson. Additionally, the R&B singer also wrote original music for the show, which was released under the title The Idol, Vol. 1 (Music from the HBO Original Series) in late June and included cameos by Future, Madonna, and Playboi Carti.