The Weeknd’s Rise: From Street of Scarborough to International Stardom 

His Childhood in Exile 

Weeknd :

Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born on Feb.16,1990) of Toronto’s Scarborough neighborhood; is an only child born to Ethiopian parents that fled violence in Ethiopia in the 1980’s for Canada. When Abel was just a toddler, he lost contact with his father; who, at that time, had left the family with his mother; a single working woman; and his grandmother raising him. Abel grew up in a humble house where he would listen to both Amharic chant as well as Michael Jackson and Prince from old cassette tapes.

Early years of rebellion.

Tesfaye spent his early years in the working-class neighborhoods of Scarborough, a city that is multicultural; he went to high school at West Hill Collegiate Institute and he was diagnosed with ADHD as a teenager. Tesfaye was a quiet but restless kid; by the time he was 17, he had already dropped out of school in a very dramatic way: he had taken his mom’s mattress and disappeared to the Parkdale area of downtown Toronto with his friends La Mar Taylor and Hyghly Alleyne. His defiant actions were the beginning of his career, and his stage name, The Weeknd, was a deliberate misspelling of “weekend” which was done to keep from having trademark problems and to represent his departure from the traditional lifestyle.

The time frame of the dark years

(early 2010’s) was an era of both hardship and excessive behavior; examples included odd jobs working at American Apparel folding clothes, periods of homeless status, a couple of short sentences in jail for committing minor crimes and extensive substance abuse such as ketamine, MDMA, and codeine syrup. The early 2010’s were later described by Tesfaye as “crutches,” tools used to generate the raw, nocturnal feeling that became the base of his music.

Anonymously Creating Rise with The Mixtape Trilogy 

From 2009–2010, Tesfaye anonymously posted songs on YouTube using various anonymous names. Tracks such as “What You Need” and “The Morning”, were shared via online forums due to their unique atmospheric production; slow tempo beats, echoing synthesizers and sharp falsetto vocals. He received further momentum in 2011 after Drake included one of his anonymous tracks and then featured him on Drake’s Take Care album. In 2011, he released the highly successful trilogy of mixtapes through his new XO label titled House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence.

The mixtape trilogy was created by sampling artists such as Siouxsie and the Banshees and Beach House and it changed how alternative R&B would be made and received much acclaim, including being nominated for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize.

The transition from underground success to mainstream dominance

Tesfaye first performed live as part of an opening set at Toronto’s Mod Club in 2011, ending years of being a recluse. The theme of the isolation of fame on his 2013 album Kiss Land was also reflected in the album’s production which allowed Tesfaye to showcase his range and potential to the world. However, his 2015 release, Beauty Behind the Madness – produced by Max Martin – brought him to a level of global super-stardom; with diamond certified hits like “Can’t Feel My Face” and “The Hills”, in addition to several collaborations (with Ariana Grande among them) including his Oscar nominated collaboration “Earned It” for Fifty Shades of Grey.

In addition to providing further evidence that he had taken over pop, Starboy (2016) – with Daft Punk – provided a second number one album and a Grammy win. A more raw and personal take on heartache was found on My Dear Melancholy (2018).

His Most Ambitious Phase: The Existential Trilogy

The 2020s were the most ambitious period for Tesfaye; He released an Existential Trilogy on Fame, Collapse, & Re-birth after hours (2020). After Hours was the source of the most popular song in Spotify’s history “Blinding Lights” and led to him to fund and perform a surreal Superbowl Halftime Show in 2021. The second installment of the trilogy, Dawn FM (2022), had Jim Carrey do voice-over narration and combined 80s Synth-Pop with Existentialism. The trilogy ended with Hurry Up Tomorrow (Released Jan. 31st, 2025), which was written in response to a vocal cord injury he suffered during a live show in 2022.

This injury forced a break down. He presented the album with Singles with Playboi Carti & Anitta, and presented this album as the final piece of work under The Weeknd persona, but he has hinted at a “Re-Birth”, and Not Retirement.

Working as an actor and taking creative risks 

Tesfaye is working as a professional actor as seen in his work on the films “Uncut Gems” (2019) and also did voice over work for The Simpsons and American Dad!. He was part of the creative team that produced and starred in the HBO show “The Idol,” (2023) which was cancelled after just one season.

In late May 2025 Tesfaye will be starring in the film “Hurry Up Tomorrow” which is a thriller film written/directed by Trey Edward Shults and starring Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan. Although this film is visually stunning, it has been described as having received mixed reviews with some saying it is self-indulgent, “astonishingly boring”, and performed poorly at the box office.

Philanthropy 

Entrepreneurial ventures and philanthropy have also been part of The Weeknd’s professional development outside of his music career. He has developed several entrepreneurial ventures such as HXOUSE, an incubator for emerging creatives; Samra Origins, a coffee company specializing in Ethiopian origin coffee; esports investments; and business partnerships with major sports franchises including the Paris Saint Germain soccer franchise and the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team.

Since being named a UN World Food Program Goodwill Ambassador in 2021, he has donated millions of dollars to support famine relief in Ethiopia; provide humanitarian aid to victims of the conflict in Gaza; provide funding to the Black Lives Matter movement; and provide funding to support disaster relief efforts.

Ongoing — The Tour Continues Breaking Records — The Future Is Wide Open 

Abel Tesfaye, still known publicly as “The Weeknd” — although he now is increasingly signing off on social media posts as “Abel” — is continuing to make After Hours Til Dawn Tour (2022-2026) history. In addition to new leg of the tour scheduled for Latin America (Anitta will be featured) and Europe/UK (Playboi Carti will be featured), this tour is already the largest grossing R&B tour of all time — with multiple shows having been added due to unprecedented demand.

In a journey from dark, shadowy, Toronto mix-tape underground, to stadium shows and concept film art, Abel Tesfaye has taken his own personal darkness and transformed it into what may prove to be one of the most influential artistic journeys of the 21st Century. No matter if The Weeknd chooses to retire or continue to evolve, the reinvention will never cease to exist.