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.

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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.

Lifestyle index · sourced and contextualised

Trivia & tastes

Not located in the reviewed sources

The Weeknd; reviewed 2026-10-02. No named personal reading or favourite-book disclosure. Do not infer reading from script-writing, Burning film admiration or a Philip K. Dick lyric. No book commerce or guessed editions.

Evidence review current to 2026-10-02Not verified

Pink Floyd

He recalled falling in love with Pink Floyd at 14 in GQ’s dated interview.

Recorded with an attributable source

808s & Heartbreak — Kanye West

Admired record, not a ranked favourite.

Recorded with an attributable source

Rosalía and Karol G

He named Rosalía and Karol G in Remezcla’s dated premiere interview.

Recorded with an attributable source

Aster Aweke and Mulatu Astatke

Childhood household listening.

Recorded with an attributable source

Spicy Rigatoni Vodka

Postmates described this Crossroads order in its dated receipts feature.

Recorded with an attributable source

Deep Fried Oreos

The dated Postmates feature identified the Carving Board dessert; no permanent favourite is inferred.

Recorded with an attributable source

Coffee runs deep in his family culture

He described coffee’s family significance for the dated Nespresso Samra Origins collaboration.

Recorded with an attributable source

Long walks

Mark Anthony Green reported that he started taking long walks. The dated interview does not establish a current gym schedule.

Recorded with an attributable source

Plant-based diet

Postmates described this preference in its historical feature; this is not a current vegan or vegetarian label.

Recorded with an attributable source

ALL NIGHTER sheet mask and ALL EYES ON ME eye gels

MaskerAide attributed this professional preparation to Mila Victoria for The Weeknd’s video work. It is not an everyday routine.

Recorded with an attributable source

Cover source

PLAY Everyday Lotion SPF 50Supergoop!

Christine Nelli described PLAY Everyday Lotion SPF 50 as part of professional Super Bowl preparation in the dated interview. This is event preparation, not his present daily routine.

Named item linked to an attributable source

View image source

Not located in the reviewed sources

The Weeknd; reviewed 2026-10-02. No named personal fragrance disclosure after actual searches/checks. Styling/product endorsements do not prove wearing.

Evidence review current to 2026-10-02Not verified

Caesar — Doberman

Esquire’s dated profile identified Caesar as his dog. This is a historical disclosure, not a present household census.

Recorded with an attributable source

Caesar and Julius — Doberman pinschers

TIME’s dated profile identified Caesar and Julius. Current ownership is not assumed.

Recorded with an attributable source

Trivia & tastes

Books

Music

Food

Training

Diet

Skincare

Fragrances

Pets