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The Weeknd

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The Weeknd
File:WeekndOVOFest.jpg
Background information
Birth nameAbel Tesfaye
Born (1990-02-16) February 16, 1990 (age 34)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
GenresR&B/Soul[1]
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, rapper, producer
Years active2010–present
LabelsXO, Universal Republic
Websitewww.the-weeknd.com
Not to be confused with Weekend (American band) or The Weekend (Canadian band).

Abel Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), better known by his stage name The Weeknd, is a Canadian R&B recording artist and record producer of Ethiopian descent from Toronto, Ontario. Tesfaye uploaded several songs to YouTube under the name, "The Weeknd," in late 2010,[2] though his identity was initially unknown.[3][4] In March 2011, The Weeknd released a free nine-song album, House of Balloons, which was critically acclaimed.[5] The title track is based on a sample of Siouxsie and the Banshees' hit single "Happy House."[6] The first album is a part of a trilogy which includes Thursday released in August of the same year and Echoes of Silence issued in December.[7] In June, House of Balloons was named as one of ten shortlisted nominees of 2011 Polaris Music Prize but eventually lost to Arcade Fire's The Suburbs.[8] On December 21, 2011 at 11:07 p.m. EST Tesfaye released his highly anticipated third mixtape Echoes of Silence. On June 14, the tape was announced as a nominee for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize, becoming the second mixtape from the trilogy to receive recognition for the award.

The Weeknd has received praise from several music publications, including those of Pitchfork,[1] MTV,[9] BET, Rolling Stone, XXL and The Source, who have dubbed him the "Songbird of his Generation" and the "best musical talent since Michael Jackson" (John Norris, MTV).

Career

House of Balloons

Abel Tesfaye uploaded three songs, "What You Need," "Loft Music," and "The Morning" to YouTube.[10] A free nine-track album titled House of Balloons was digitally released on 21 March 2011 through the artist's official website.[11] The title track is based on the sample of Siouxsie and the Banshees' 1980 hit single "Happy House" with Tesfaye covering the chorus.[5] Tesfaye’s eclectic music also blends other samples ranging from Beach House to Aaliyah's Rock the Boat.[12] Fellow Toronto based artist Drake has been partly credited for generating public awareness for The Weeknd, after he quoted a line from the track "Wicked Games" via Twitter and linked to the singer's music on his website.[11][13]

House of Balloons was met with universal critical acclaim. As Pitchfork's Joe Colly wrote, "all the thematic and sonic pieces fit together - these weird, morning-after tales of lust, hurt, and over-indulgence ... are matched by this incredibly lush, downcast music. It's hard to think of a record since probably The xx's debut ... that so fully embodies such a specific nocturnal quality."[1] Frontier Psychiatrist's L.V. Lopez described the album as "brilliant, disturbing, and not safe for work," calling the song "Loft Music" a song that is "so unsafe it should come with a child-proof cap, so dirty that you’ll feel guilty the next time you see your wife."[14] Tom Ewing of The Guardian stated that although the vocals and lyrics on House of Balloons "aren't especially strong by R&B standards," the Weeknd is receiving "so much attention" as a result of its "command of mood."[15] Sean Fennessey of The Village Voice called the album "impressive" and added, "It's patient, often gorgeous, and consistently louche ... with the sort of blown-out underbelly and echo-laden crooning that has already made Drake's less-than-a-year-old Thank Me Later such an influential guidepost."[16] Maegan McGregor of Exclaim! also praised the album: "Packed full of sex, drugs and some downright killer production, this easily stands as one of the year's best debuts so far, hipster, Top 40 or otherwise."[17] Sputnik Music's Tyler Fisher said that "despite being a free album, House of Balloons feels like a true album, a true labor of love."[18]

In July, The Weeknd embarked on a tour and delivered his first performance at the Mod Club in Toronto. The hour-and-a-half long performance created buzz about the young R&B singer.[19] Tesfaye’s next performance took place at Toronto’s Molson Canadian Amphitheatre. He collaborated with rapper Drake and appeared as one of the special guests to Drake’s 2nd Annual OVO Fest on July 31, 2011 [20] That same month, the song "High for This" was featured in the promo for the final season of the HBO show Entourage.[21]

During the summer, the press noted that Tesfaye refused to participate in interviews and chose to only communicate via Twitter.[22]

He also released "The Knowing" video. Showing off his Ethiopian roots, the video trails off into a dizzying, futuristic journey, which hurtles the viewer into the fictional planet Ethia X in the year of 16311 A.D. The sci-fi angle should appeal to fans who have yet to connect a face to the reclusive artist, as he appears frequently throughout the video.

House of Balloons was named the #1 album of 2011 by Complex magazine, beating both Drake's Take Care and Watch the Throne by Jay-Z and Kanye West.[12]

Thursday

Thursday is a mixtape released shortly after House of Balloons on August 18, 2011 on XO's label. It was made available for free as a digital download from the Weeknd's website. The mixtape garnered largely positive feedback upon release.[23] Rapper Drake contributes guest vocals to track "The Zone". Thursday was produced in Toronto, Ontario with the help of Doc McKinney and Illangelo.[24]

Echoes of Silence

The Weeknd's third mixtape, titled Echoes of Silence, was released on December 21, 2011.[23][25] It has been described as Tesfaye's most lyrically powerful and emotional mixtape to date.[24]

In April 2012, The Weeknd began his US tour by performing at the Coachella Festival.[26] Tesfaye and his band visited the Union’s coasts, performing at a dozen of gigs in various major cities.[26] This culminated in New York, where two sold-out shows were positively reviewed by Rolling Stone.[27] Then, they will be also performing in major European festivals, including the Primavera Sound Festivals in Spain and Portugal,[28] Wireless Festival in London,[29] plus concerts in Paris and Brussels. The Weeknd is also a confirmed artist for the Third Annual OVO Fest.[30]

Trilogy

Tesfaye will release his debut album, Trilogy, on November 13, 2012. The album will consist of a remastered version of the 3 projects he has since released also containing three new tracks, which are scheduled to be called "Twenty Eight", "Valerie", and "Til Dawn". The album will release under Universal Republic Records whom he recently signed to, and his own label XO.[31] He also released the video for "Rolling Stone" off of Thursday on October 3, 2012 and the video for "Wicked Games" off of House of Balloons on October 18, 2012.

Discography

Compilation Albums

Title Album details
Trilogy

Mixtapes

Title Album details
House of Balloons
Thursday
  • Released: August 18, 2011
  • Label: XO
  • Format: Digital download
Echoes of Silence
  • Released: December 21, 2011
  • Label: XO
  • Format: Digital download

Guest appearances

List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"Drugs in My Body (Remix)" 2008 Thieves Like Us Play Music
"Crew Love" 2011 Drake Take Care
"Dreams Money Can Buy"
"Shot for Me"
"The Ride"
"Cameras / Good Ones Go Interlude"
"Like Me (The Birds Sample)" 2012 2 Chainz Based on a T.R.U. Story
"Remember You" Wiz Khalifa O.N.I.F.C.
"Lifted" French Montana Excuse My French
"Codeine Cups" Juicy J Stay Trippy
List of songs with production by The Weeknd
Song Album Year Artist
"Shake It Out (The Weeknd Remix)" Ceremonials 2011 Florence and the Machine
"Marry the Night (The Weeknd & Illangelo Remix)" Born This Way: The Remix Lady Gaga

Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2011 Polaris Music Prize[32] House of Balloons Canadian Polaris Music Prize Nominated
MTV O Music Awards[33] "Wicked Games" Too Much Ass for TV Nominated
Himself Best Web-born Artist Nominated
2012 mtvU Music Awards[34] Himself Breaking Woodie Nominated
2012 Sirius XM Indie Awards[35] Himself Solo Artist of the Year Nominated
Himself Urban Artist/Group or Duo of the Year Won
2011 Stereogum Awards[36] Himself Top 10 New Acts of 2011 Won

References

  1. ^ a b c Colly, Joe (2011-03-29). "Album Reviews - The Weeknd - House of Balloons". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
  2. ^ Last.fm, (2011-1-1). "The Weeknd" . Last.fm . Retrieved 2012-03-29
  3. ^ Fitzmaurice, Larry (2011-03-04). "The Playlist - The Weeknd - What You Need". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
  4. ^ Stewart, Allison (2011-03-14). "Singles File: Da Phuture, The Weeknd, Fever Ray". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2011-03-29. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ a b "House of Balloons - The Weeknd". Metacritic. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  6. ^ Neyland, Nick (2011-03-28). "The Weeknd's House Of Balloons". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2012-03-16. So here on the title track from that mixtape, we get a more-than-generous portion of Siouxsie and the Banshees' 1980 single "Happy House." which is worked into a softly anthemic slow-burn number full of diva-ish vocals tied to a chilly beat. John McGeoch's riff remains untouched and runs throughout most of the track, giving it a filmy pop feel that periodically peaks with a generous swipe from the "Happy House" chorus
  7. ^ Fitzmaurice, Larry (2011-05-19). "The Weeknd Ready Two More Mixtapes for 2011". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2011-08-15.
  8. ^ "The 2011 Shortlist|Polaris Music Prize"
  9. ^ Rob Markman (8 December 2011). "Drake's Boy The Weeknd Drops My Favorite 2011 Album". Mtv.com. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  10. ^ Caramanica A-Train, Jon (2010-12-36). "Screams That Charmed, and Other Overlooked Highlights". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-03-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ a b Ramirez, Erika (2011-03-21). "Say Hello To The Weeknd, Drake Co-Signs". MTV. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
  12. ^ a b various authors (2011-12-19). "The 25 Best Albums of 2011". complex.com. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  13. ^ Escobedo Shepherd, Julianne (2011-03-23). "Love and Other Drugs: The Weeknd's Altered-State R&B". WNET. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
  14. ^ Lopez, L. V. (2011-03-28). "Wicked Games – A Review of The Weeknd's House Of Balloons". Frontier Psychiatrist. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
  15. ^ Ewing, Tom (2011-03-24). "The Weeknd's VIP Area Exposé Was Made for the Indie Crowd". The Guardian. Retrieved 2011-03-29. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ Fennessey, Sean (2011-03-23). "Love vs. Money: The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, and R&B's Future Shock". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2011-03-29. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ McGregor, Maegan (2011-03-28). "Get the Latest from the Weeknd, Teenage Kicks, TV on the Radio and More in This Week's Click Hear Roundup". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2011-03-29. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ Fisher, Tyler (2011-03-25). "Staff Review - The Weeknd - House Of Balloons". Sputnik Music. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
  19. ^ Ritchie, Kevin (2011-07-25). The Weeknd’s perfect premiere.NOW Toronto". Retrieved 2012-03-28
  20. ^ Fitzmaurice, Larry (2011-07-03). The Weeknd to Play Drake's OVO Festival."Pitchfork". Retrieved 2011-03-27
  21. ^ Osei, Anthony (22 May 2011). "The Weeknd Entourage". complex.com. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  22. ^ Melody Lau (25 July 2011). "Mysterious R&B singer sells out first show". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2012-03-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); line feed character in |date= at position 3 (help)
  23. ^ a b Dunlevy, T’Cha (2012-03-23). "365 days of Weeknd: We chart Abel Tesfaye’s rise to fame a year after House of Balloons" .The National Post. Retrieved 2012-03-27
  24. ^ a b Deezill, Sean (2011-04-19). [1]."The Manifesto". Retrieved 2012-03-27
  25. ^ The Weeknd's Official Site Official Site . Retrieved 2012-03-28
  26. ^ a b Snapes, Laura (16 April 2012). "Abel Tesfaye makes his U.S. debut". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  27. ^ Krishnamurthy, Sowmya (29 April 2012). "The Weeknd Mesmerizes at Bowery Ballroom". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 27-5-2012. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  28. ^ Luis Tovar. "The Weeknd announces first ever tour". prettymuchamazing.com. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  29. ^ "Wireless line up 2012". wirelessfestival.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-03-16.
  30. ^ http://www.mrticketking.com/Drake. Retrieved 02/12/2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  31. ^ http://pitchfork.com/news/48066-the-weeknd-shares-rolling-stone-video-trilogy-artwork/
  32. ^ Polaris Music Prize, (2011-09-19). "The 2011 Shortlist" . Polaris Music Prize. Retrieved 2012-03-28
  33. ^ MTV, (2011-08-28). "O Music Awards" . MTV O Music Awards. Retrieved 2012-03-28
  34. ^ mtvU, (2012-03-18). "Breaking Woodie" . mtvU. Retrieved 2012-03-28
  35. ^ Sirius XM, (2012-01-26). "2012 Winners/Nominees" . Sirius XM. Retrieved 2012-03-28
  36. ^ Stereogum, (2011-12-14). "The Gummy Awards: Your Top 10 New Acts Of 2011" . Stereogum . Retrieved 2012-03-28

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