He was raised in a multicultural neighbourhood in Scarborough. He is the only child of Makkonen and Samra Tesfaye, who were Ethiopian migrants to Canada in the 1980's. 2.1 2010–2011: Career beginnings and mixtapesĪbel Makkonen Tesfaye was born on 16 February 1990, in Scarborough, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto.His second album, Beauty Behind the Madness, which became his first number one album on the Billboard 200, included the top-five single " Earned It" and produced the number-one singles " The Hills" and " Can't Feel My Face." The songs have simultaneously held the top three spots on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart, making him the first artist in history to achieve this. In 2013, he released his debut studio album Kiss Land, which was supported by the singles " Kiss Land" and " Live For". It was released under Republic Records and his own label XO. The following year, he released a compilation album Trilogy, thirty tracks consisting of remastered versions of the mixtape material and three additional songs. In late 2010, Tesfaye anonymously uploaded several songs to YouTube under the name "The Weeknd." He released three nine-track mixtapes throughout 2011: House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence, which were critically acclaimed. Kanye West, Ariana Grande, Drake, Travis Scott Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born 16 February 1990), known professionally by his stage name The Weeknd is a Canadian singer, songwriter and record producer.