Portrait · Brian Ziff / CC BY-SA 4.0

The Weeknd

Singer, songwriter and actor

Born 1990

The Weeknd is the Canadian singer, songwriter and screen performer Abel Makkonen Tesfaye. Born in Scarborough, Ontario, to Ethiopian parents, he developed an early creative partnership with school friend La Mar Taylor. He grew up speaking Amharic and first wrote pop demos for other singers before becoming a performer. In a later interview he recalled American Apparel colleagues playing his anonymous music without knowing he made it. Online recordings led to the House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence mixtapes, later collected as Trilogy. Kiss Land preceded the broader pop breakthrough of Beauty Behind the Madness; Starboy, After Hours and Dawn FM extended his mix of R&B, electronic production and cinematic characters. His recording collaborators include Ariana Grande, Daft Punk, Doja Cat, Swedish House Mafia, Madonna and Playboi Carti. Hurry Up Tomorrow continued that album career while its associated feature film gave him acting, co-writing and producing credits. Screen work spans a cameo in Uncut Gems, animation voices, concert films and Tedros in The Idol, which he co-created. His public humanitarian work includes a World Food Programme ambassadorship and the XO Humanitarian Fund. Recent Japanese work includes Out Of Time with Tomoko Aran and an unreleased Tokyo performance with Yoko Takahashi. His personal disclosures remain dated: interviews describe listening influences, historical walks, named dogs and professional event skincare, without establishing a current private routine.

Verified identityCore facts checked against named sources.

Keep exploring

Connected people

ConnectionLa Mar TaylorSchool friend and early XO creative collaborator.

ConnectionTomoko AranCollaborator on the 2026 version of Out Of Time.

ConnectionYoko TakahashiPerformed unreleased Tokyo together in Japan.

Official records · wins and honours

Awards & Honours

Selected recognition linked to the awarding organisation or primary record.

2026
CARAS / JUNO AwardsNomination
Nominee — Album of the Year
Hurry Up Tomorrow
Official record
2026
CARAS / JUNO AwardsNomination
Nominee — Pop Album of the Year
Hurry Up Tomorrow
Official record
2026
CARAS / JUNO AwardsNomination
Nominee — Single of the Year
Cry For Me
Official record
2023
CARAS / JUNO AwardsCompetitive win
Single of the Year
Sacrifice
Official record
2023
CARAS / JUNO AwardsCompetitive win
Pop Album of the Year
Dawn FM
Official record
2022
Recording AcademyCompetitive win
Best Melodic Rap Performance
Hurricane
Official record
2021
CARAS / JUNO AwardsCompetitive win
Single of the Year
Blinding Lights
Official record
2021
CARAS / JUNO AwardsCompetitive win
Album of the Year
After Hours
Official record
2018
Recording AcademyCompetitive win
Best Urban Contemporary Album
Starboy
Official record
2017
CARAS / JUNO AwardsCompetitive win
R&B/Soul Recording of the Year
Starboy
Official record
2016
Recording AcademyCompetitive win
Best R&B Performance
Earned It
Official record
2016
Recording AcademyCompetitive win
Best Urban Contemporary Album
Beauty Behind the Madness
Official record
2016
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesNomination
Nominee — Original Song
Earned It
Official record
2016
CARAS / JUNO AwardsCompetitive win
Single of the Year
Can't Feel My Face
Official record
2016
CARAS / JUNO AwardsCompetitive win
Album of the Year
Beauty Behind the Madness
Official record
2015
CARAS / JUNO AwardsCompetitive win
Artist of the Year
The Weeknd
Official record
2015
CARAS / JUNO AwardsCompetitive win
R&B/Soul Recording of the Year
Often
Official record
2013
CARAS / JUNO AwardsCompetitive win
Breakthrough Artist of the Year
The Weeknd
Official record
2013
CARAS / JUNO AwardsCompetitive win
R&B/Soul Recording of the Year
Trilogy
Official record

Nominee — Album of the Year

Nominee — Pop Album of the Year

Nominee — Single of the Year

Single of the Year

Pop Album of the Year

Best Melodic Rap Performance

Single of the Year

Album of the Year

Best Urban Contemporary Album

R&B/Soul Recording of the Year

Best R&B Performance

Best Urban Contemporary Album

Nominee — Original Song

Single of the Year

Album of the Year

Artist of the Year

R&B/Soul Recording of the Year

Breakthrough Artist of the Year

R&B/Soul Recording of the Year