Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, known professionally as The Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor born February 16, 1990, in Toronto to Ethiopian immigrants. He gained fame by anonymously uploading music to YouTube in 2010, releasing his breakthrough mixtape 'House of Balloons' in 2011. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism exploring themes of hedonism, romance, and depression, he has become a multi-platinum, 3x Grammy Award-winning artist who revolutionized contemporary R&B by blending pop, electronic, and hip-hop elements.