
His debut studio album Kiss Land was released in 2013, which saw him experiment with dark wave.

In 2012, Tesfaye signed with Republic Records and re-released the mixtapes in the compilation album Trilogy. Two years later, he co-founded the XO record label and released the critically acclaimed mixtapes House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence, quickly gaining recognition for his dark style of contemporary and alternative R&B, and for the mystique surrounding his identity.

īorn and raised in Toronto, Tesfaye began his recording career in 2009 by anonymously releasing music on YouTube. He has received numerous accolades, including three Grammy Awards, nineteen Billboard Music Awards, fifteen Juno Awards, six American Music Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, and an Academy Award nomination. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, Tesfaye's music explores escapism, romance, and melancholia, and is often inspired by personal experiences. Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and record producer.
