In addition, the multi-platinum singer released The Highlights, a collection of his most notable works, on 5 February 2021 in advance of his halftime performance in Tampa Bay, Florida for Super Bowl LV. To support its release, The Weeknd announced The After Hours Tour worldwide tour, with the UK leg rescheduled to autumn 2022 and three new shows added in Belfast, Glasgow and London.
Four stunning cinematic music videos directed by Anton Tammi and filmed in Las Vegas complemented the record, painting a story about a shadowy character who goes on a downward spiral. Debuting at the top of the Billboard albums chart, it was powered by the massive lead singles Blinding Lights and Heartless, which introduced elements of dream pop to his sound. The Weeknd’s fourth studio album, After Hours, came out in March 2020 and was as much a visual narrative as a musical one. In December 2019, he added acting to his growing portfolio, playing himself in the critically acclaimed Safdie brothers’ film Uncut Gems. In addition to music and overlooking his XO record label, The Weeknd also made a mark in the fashion world with spin-off clothing lines. He also worked with Kendrick Lamar on Pray For Me for the soundtrack to Marvel’s Black Panther, before dropping a surprise EP, My Dear Melancholy. In 2017, The Weeknd collaborated on singles by Lana Del Rey, NAV, Gucci Mane and French Montana. Following The Weeknd’s first ever world tour, Starboy: The Legend Of The Fall, he collected another Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album. The title track, featuring French duo Daft Punk, amassed 17 million streams globally in less than a week. The Weeknd named his third record, 2016’s Starboy, in tribute to pop icon David Bowie after his 1972 classic hit Starman. The Weeknd received seven Grammy nominations, winning for Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best R&B Performance, while the song Earned It scored him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. In addition to scoring No.1 hits with The Hills and Can’t Feel My Face, three more tracks – Often, In The Night and Acquainted – climbed onto the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with Earned It being featured in the film Fifty Shades Of Grey. Selling over three million copies, it was certified triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. His follow-up, 2015's Beauty Behind The Madness, began his reign on the Billboard albums and singles charts. A dark and eerie collection of songs, he said that his aim was to capture the feeling of fear that comes from watching a horror movie. The Weeknd’s first full-length album, Kiss Land, arrived in 2013. These mixtapes were remastered and reissued as Trilogy in 2012, the same year The Weeknd made his US live debut at Coachella. The following year, he wrote and sang on several tracks for Drake’s Take Care album before co-founding the Canadian record label XO and releasing a trio of mixtapes: House Of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes Of Silence (containing D.D., a re-interpretation of the Michael Jackson’s Dirty Diana). In 2010, he uploaded a handful of songs to YouTube as The Weeknd, including What You Need and Loft Music.
He hated his name at the time and thought “The Weekend” sounded cool – but removed the “e” because another Canadian band had already laid claim to the name. His first language was Amharic, which he still speaks fluently, and he grew up listening to Ethiopian artists such as Tilahun Gessesse and Aster Aweke, while Michael Jackson and Prince also spurred him on to becoming a singer.Īt the age of 17, Tesfaye left home, grabbing his mattress and packing a bag one weekend. Born in Toronto as Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, he’s a native Canadian of Ethiopian descent. One of the biggest artists of the 2010s, The Weeknd’s razor-edged music is an alchemy of genres and real-life experiences.
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