bel Makkonen Tesfaye 

(born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a

Canadian singer, songwriter and actor.[2] Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music
explores escapism, romance, and melancholia, and is often inspired by personal experiences.[3] He
has received numerous accolades, including four Grammy Awards, a Latin Grammy Award,
20 Billboard Music Awards, 17 Juno Awards, six American Music Awards, two MTV Video Music
Awards, and nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Tesfaye began his career in 2009 by anonymously releasing
music on YouTube. Two years later, he co-founded the XO record label and released the
mixtapes House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence, which gained recognition for his style
of contemporary and alternative R&B and the mystique surrounding his identity.[4] In 2012, he signed
with Republic Records and rereleased the mixtapes in the compilation album Trilogy. He
explored dark wave in his debut studio album Kiss Land (2013), which debuted at number two on the
US Billboard 200. After its release, Tesfaye began contributing to film soundtracks, with his
acclaimed single "Earned It" from Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) winning the Grammy Award for Best
R&B Performance, while also being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.[5]
Tesfaye earned critical and commercial success with his pop-leaning second album Beauty Behind
the Madness (2015), which reached number one in the US, contained the US Billboard Hot
100 chart-topping singles "Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills", and won the Grammy Award for
Best Urban Contemporary Album and was nominated for Album of the Year.[6] His trap-infused third
studio album Starboy (2016) saw similar commercial success and included the US number-
one single of the same name and won the Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album.
Tesfaye explored new wave and dream pop with his critically acclaimed fourth studio album After
Hours (2020), which featured the chart record-setting single "Blinding Lights" and the US number-
one singles "Heartless" and "Save Your Tears".[7] His dance-pop inspired fifth album Dawn
FM (2022) included the US top-ten single "Take My Breath".
Among the world's best-selling music artists with over 75 million records sold,[8] Tesfaye holds
several streaming and Billboard chart records.[9][10] He is the first artist to simultaneously debut on the
top three on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs,[11] while "Blinding Lights" is ranked as the greatest Hot 100
song in Billboard history.[12][13] Often considered as a prominent figure in contemporary popular music,
[14]
 Tesfaye was listed by Time as one of the world's most influential people in 2020.[15] An advocate
for racial equality and food security, he was appointed a World Food Programme Goodwill
Ambassador in 2021.[16][17]

Early life
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye[a] was born on February 16, 1990, in Toronto, Ontario.[18] He is the only child
of Ethiopian immigrants Makkonen Tesfaye and Samrawit Hailu,[b] who separated shortly after his
birth.[20][21] He was brought up in the district of Scarborough by his mother and grandmother.[18][22] He
has an estranged relationship with his father, in which he explained to Rolling Stone, "I saw him
vaguely when I was six, and then again when I was 11 or 12, and he had a new family and kids. I
don't even know where he lived — I'd see him for, like, a night. I'm sure he's a great guy. I never
judged him. He wasn't abusive, he wasn't an alcoholic, he wasn't an asshole. He just wasn't there."[21]
Tesfaye was raised as an Ethiopian Orthodox.[21][23] When asked whether or not he was still religious,
he stated to Variety in 2020, "I dunno...everything is a test, and if you are religious or spiritual, you
have to go through things."[24] His native language is Amharic, which he learned through his
grandmother.[25] He later became fluent in French by attending a French-immersion school.[26] He was
further educated at West Hill Collegiate Institute and Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute.[27]
When he was 17, Tesfaye dropped out of school and moved to an apartment in the neighbourhood
of Parkdale with two friends; including his best friend and now creative director La Mar Taylor.[28] He
has described this period as being like the 1995 film Kids "without the AIDS", as they lived
a hedonistic lifestyle.[18][29] He has also experienced homelessness and was incarcerated on several
occasions during this time, which encouraged him to "smarten up, to focus."[30][31]
Tesfaye often used drugs and abused illegal substances such as ketamine, cocaine, MDMA, magic
mushrooms, and cough syrup.[32] In December 2016, he stated that drugs were a "crutch" for him
when it came to writing music.[33] In August 2021, during a cover story with GQ, he described himself
as being "sober lite", meaning that he has stopped using drugs with the exception of marijuana. He
also noted that he drinks alcohol occasionally, stating: "I'm not a heavy drinker, as much as I used to
be. The romance of drinking isn't there."[34]

Career
2009–2011: Early beginnings
Main articles: House of Balloons, Thursday (album), and Echoes of Silence
In August 2009, Tesfaye began anonymously releasing music on YouTube.[35][36] The following year,
he met Jeremy Rose, a producer who had an idea for a dark contemporary R&B project. After
initially trying to pitch the idea to musician Curtis Santiago, Rose played one of his instrumentals for
Tesfaye, who freestyle rapped over it. Rose produced three songs – "What You Need", "Loft Music"
and "The Morning" – and others that Tesfaye had sung on, which were ultimately scrapped. Rose let
Tesfaye keep the tracks he had produced under the condition that he would be credited for them.
[37]
 In December 2010, Tesfaye uploaded "What You Need", "Loft Music" and "The Morning" to
YouTube under the username "xoxxxoooxo".[38][39] His identity was initially unknown. The songs drew
some attention online, and were later included in a blog post from rapper Drake.[37][40] The songs
subsequently received coverage from various media outlets, including Pitchfork and The New York
Times.[41]
Before adopting the stage name the Weeknd, Tesfaye released music under two aliases; the Noise
and Kin Kane.[21] His current stage name was chosen in tribute to when he dropped out of school,
took his mattress, "left one weekend and never came home." However, Rose claims the name was
his idea.[42][43] The last 'e' was excluded to avoid trademark problems with pop rock band the
Weekend.[44] In the beginning of his career, Tesfaye worked at American Apparel. Due to his
anonymity, his co-workers listened to his music without knowing it was him.[45][46][47]
In 2011, Tesfaye met music executives Wassim "Sal" Slaiby and Amir "Cash" Esmailian, with whom,
along with Taylor, he founded the XO record label.[48] On March 21, Tesfaye released his debut
mixtape House of Balloons.[49][50][51] The mixtape included production from producers Illangelo and Doc
McKinney, and included the tracks produced by Rose, although he did not receive production
credits.[37] House of Balloons was named as one of ten shortlisted nominees for the 2011 Polaris
Music Prize.[52] On August 18, Tesfaye released his second mixtape Thursday, which received
generally positive reviews.[53] His third mixtape, Echoes of Silence, was released on December 21. It
was a longlisted nominee for the 2012 Polaris Music Prize.[54][55]
In July 2011, Tesfaye held his first live performance at the Mod Club Theatre in Toronto.[56] After the
performance, Drake met with Tesfaye to discuss collaborations, which led to Tesfaye earning an
appearance at his OVO Festival.[57] He also participated in concerts hosted by the Black Student
Association at the University of Toronto.[47][58] Tesfaye contributed to four songs on Drake's second
studio album Take Care, which was released on November 15, as a songwriter, producer and a
featured artist on the album's seventh single "Crew Love".[59]

2012–2014: Trilogy and Kiss Land
Main articles: Trilogy (The Weeknd album) and Kiss Land
Tesfaye performing at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2012

Between January and March 2012, Tesfaye performed at several Ontario universities,
including Waterloo's Laurier University, Hamilton's Mohawk College and McMaster University.[60] In
April, he began his first international tour; which included performances at Coachella,[61] sold-out
shows at such venues as the Bowery Ballroom in New York City, which were positively reviewed
by Rolling Stone,[61][62] and various European festivals, including Primavera Sound in Spain and
Portugal,[63] and the Wireless Festival in the United Kingdom.[64][65][66] In September, Tesfaye signed
with Republic Records and XO was assumed as a subsidiary label.[67] In september, he also began
his first official concert tour: The Fall Tour, during which he opened for Florence and the Machine on
their Ceremonials Tour in 5 cities, which included 2 shows at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los
Angeles.
On November 13, 2012, Tesfaye released Trilogy, a compilation album consisting of re-mixed and
remastered versions of his 2011 mixtapes and three additional tracks.[68][69][70] The album officially
credited Rose as a producer and writer on the three songs from House of Balloons for which he did
not initially receive credit.[71] Trilogy debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 with first-week
sales of 86,000 copies. It also debuted at number five on the Canadian Albums Chart, with similar
sales.[72][73] The album was later certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of
America (RIAA) and double-platinum by Music Canada.[74][75] It also earned Tesfaye a nomination for
the Sound of 2013 poll award by BBC.[76]

Tesfaye performing at Massey Hall in October 2013

On May 17, 2013, Tesfaye released the title track to his debut studio album Kiss Land,[77] and
announced the album's release date of September 10.[78] Upon release, the album debuted at
number two on the Billboard 200 with 96,000 copies,[79] and received generally positive reviews from
music critics.[80] The album was later supported by the singles "Belong to the World", "Love in the
Sky" and "Live For" featuring Drake. Tesfaye embarked on a fall tour from September 6 to
November 26.[81] As of August 2015, the album had sold 273,000 copies in the United States.[82] On
August 10, 2020, almost seven years after its release, Kiss Land reached number one on
the iTunes R&B chart.[83]
In November 2013, Tesfaye opened for Justin Timberlake on The 20/20 Experience World Tour.
[84]
 He then contributed to the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), on the songs
"Devil May Cry" and "Elastic Heart" with Sia and Diplo, the latter serving as the second single from
the soundtrack.[85]
In February 2014, Tesfaye remixed Beyoncé's single "Drunk in Love" from her eponymous studio
album. Retaining the theme and concept of the song, he detailed the synopsis through a male's
perspective.[86] On August 25, Tesfaye collaborated with Ariana Grande on the song "Love Me
Harder" from Grande's second studio album My Everything. The song was then released on
September 30 as the fourth single from the album, and peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot
100.[87]
Tesfaye's first headlining tour, the King of the Fall Tour, a 4-city tour of North America was held in
September and October 2014, and was supported by Schoolboy Q and Jhené Aiko.[88] The tour was
followed by release of the songs "Often" and "King of the Fall", leading to speculation that the former
was the lead single from his second studio album, Beauty Behind the Madness (2015).[89] On
December 23, Tesfaye released the song "Earned It" from the soundtrack for Fifty Shades of
Grey (2015). The single, which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, earned Tesfaye
his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.[90] The song won Best R&B
Performance and was nominated for Best R&B Song and Best Song Written for Visual Media at
the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.[91]

2015–2017: Beauty Behind the Madness and Starboy

Main articles: Beauty Behind the Madness and Starboy (album)

Tesfaye performing at Bumbershoot 2015

On May 27, 2015, Tesfaye released the second single from Beauty Behind the Madness, "The Hills".
[92]
 The single debuted at number twenty on the Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at number one,
becoming Tesfaye's first number-one single. In June 2019, "The Hills" was certified diamond by the
RIAA, marking Tesfaye's first diamond-certified record.[93][94]
In June 2015, after winning the Centric Award at the BET Awards, Tesfaye performed "Earned It"
with Alicia Keys.[95] On June 8, he released the song "Can't Feel My Face" as the album's third single.
The track was previously leaked in May, but was released as a single following a performance by
Tesfaye at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference.[96] The single debuted at number twenty-
four on the Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at number one, making it Tesfaye's third top 10 hit and his
second number-one song in the United States.[97][98] The song was nominated for Record of the
Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.[99] He occupied all three
slots on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart simultaneously with the aforementioned singles,
becoming the first artist in history to accomplish this.[100] He was also unveiled as one of the musical
faces of the streaming service Apple Music, alongside Drake.[101] During the 2015 MTV Video Music
Awards, Apple debuted a two-part promotional commercial featuring Tesfaye, which had a guest
appearance from John Travolta.[102] In July, Tesfaye headlined the inaugural FVDED in the Park
festival in Surrey, British Columbia.[103] On June 29, Tesfaye was featured on Meek Mill's second
studio album Dreams Worth More Than Money (2015), on the track "Pullin' Up".[104]
Beauty Behind the Madness, Tesfaye's second studio album, was released on August 28, 2015, and
debuted atop the Billboard 200, earning 412,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.[105][106] It
reached the top 10 in over ten countries and reached number one in Canada, Australia, Norway, and
the United Kingdom.[107][108] The album was promoted by Tesfaye headlining various summer music
festivals, including Lollapalooza, the Hard Summer Music Festival, and the Bumbershoot Festival.
[109]
 He announced The Madness Fall Tour, his first large-scale tour across the United States, which
began in November, and concluded in December.[110][111] The album was certified double platinum in
the U.S., and sold 1.5 million copies worldwide.[112] It was the most-streamed album in 2015, with over
60 million streams,[113] and was ranked on multiple lists of albums of the year.[114] The three singles
that preceded the album were certified platinum in the United States.[115] The album won Best Urban
Contemporary Album and was nominated for Album of the Year at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.
[116]

On September 4, 2015, Tesfaye was featured on Travis Scott's debut album Rodeo, on the track
"Pray 4 Love".[117] On October 10, Tesfaye appeared on Saturday Night Live alongside actress Amy
Schumer, performing as the show's musical guest.[118][119] This was his first performance on the show
as a solo artist, after appearing with Ariana Grande to perform "Love Me Harder".[119]In November, he
began his debut arena tour, The Madness Fall Tour, which included shows at Toronto's Air Canada
Centre and New York City's Madison Square Garden. On December 18, Tesfaye was featured
on Belly's single "Might Not" from his eighth mixtape Up For Days.[120]
On February 14, 2016, Tesfaye was featured on Kanye West's seventh studio album The Life of
Pablo on the track "FML".[121][122] It marked their second collaboration, with West previously writing and
producing on Tesfaye's single "Tell Your Friends" from Beauty Behind the Madness. On March 1,
Tesfaye was featured on Future's single "Low Life" from his fourth studio album Evol.[123] On April 23,
he was featured on Beyoncé's sixth studio album Lemonade on the track "6 Inch".[124] On August 26,
Tesfaye was featured on Cashmere Cat's single "Wild Love" with Francis and the Lights, which
served as the lead single from Cashmere Cat's debut studio album 9 (2017).[125]

Tesfaye performing at Lollapalooza Chile during the Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour in 2017
In September 2016, Tesfaye announced that his third studio album, Starboy, would be released on
November 25, and included collaborations with former French electronic music duo Daft Punk.[126]
[127]
 He released the album's title track, which featured Daft Punk on September 21.[128] The song
debuted at number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, and peaked at number one, making it Tesfaye's
third number-one single.[129] As of March 2020, the song is certified 8× platinum by the RIAA.[130] Their
second collaboration, "I Feel It Coming" was released on November 24. The single peaked at
number four on the Billboard Hot 100.[131] On October 1, Tesfaye made a second appearance
on Saturday Night Live as the musical guest alongside actress Margot Robbie. During the show, he
performed "Starboy" and "False Alarm".[132] On November 23, he released the short film M A N I A.
Directed by Grant Singer, it featured excerpts from the album, including snippets from "All I Know"
featuring Future, "Sidewalks" featuring Kendrick Lamar, "Secrets" and "Die for You".[133][134] Upon
release, the album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 with 348,000 units, making it
Tesfaye's second consecutive number-one album.[135] As of January 2019, the album is certified triple
platinum by the RIAA.[136] The album won Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 60th Annual
Grammy Awards, making it Tesfaye's second win in the category.[137]
On February 17, 2017, The Weeknd began his fifth concert tour, called Starboy: Legend of the Fall
Tour. The tour was in support of his third studio album Starboy (2016) and concluded on December
14, 2017. He visited the continents Europa, North- and South America and Oceania. On February
15, 2017, Tesfaye was featured on Nav's commercial debut single "Some Way", which also served
as the lead single from his self-titled mixtape.[138] On February 24, he appeared on Future's sixth
studio album Hndrxx, on the song "Comin Out Strong".[139] On April 19, Tesfaye appeared on the title
track and second single from Lana Del Rey's fifth studio album.[140][141] On August 15, he was featured
on French Montana's track "A Lie", the third single from his second studio album Jungle Rules. He
then appeared on the Virgil Abloh-directed music video for Lil Uzi Vert's "XO Tour Llif3" alongside
Nav. He was later featured on Lil Uzi Vert's debut album Luv Is Rage 2 on the track "UnFazed" and
on Gucci Mane's eleventh studio album Mr. Davis on the track "Curve".

2018–2020: My Dear Melancholy, and After Hours

Main articles: My Dear Melancholy, The Weeknd in Japan, and After Hours (The Weeknd album)

Tesfaye performing in Hong Kong in November 2018

On February 2, 2018, Tesfaye contributed to the soundtrack for Black Panther on the song "Pray for
Me" with Kendrick Lamar. The track served as the third single from the soundtrack, and peaked at
number seven on the Billboard Hot 100.[142][143]
On March 30, 2018, Tesfaye released his debut extended play My Dear Melancholy,[144][145] after news
of the project were teased and leaked.[146][147] The EP debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with
169,000 units, making it Tesfaye's third consecutive number-one album and the shortest album, by
track count, to top the chart in eight years.[148] On April 6, Tesfaye released the EP's lead single "Call
Out My Name", which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.[149][150] On April 13, he
headlined the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival for the first time.[151][152]
On June 6, 2018, Tesfaye announced his new Apple Music 1 radio show Memento Mori. The first
episode was released two days later.[153] On November 21, he released his first greatest hits
album The Weeknd in Japan.[154] In support of the album and his EP My Dear Melancholy, he began
his sixth concert tour: The Weeknd Asia Tour. The tour began on November 30, 2018 and concluded
on December 18, 2018. Tesfaye did six shows in Asia. On January 11, 2019, Tesfaye was featured
on Gesaffelstein's song "Lost in the Fire", the second single from his second studio album Hyperion.
[155][156]
 On April 18, he released "Power Is Power" with SZA and Travis Scott, the lead single from
the Game of Thrones-inspired soundtrack.[157][158]
On November 24, 2019, Tesfaye teased his single "Blinding Lights" through a Mercedes-
Benz commercial.[159] On November 27, he released "Heartless" as the lead single from his fourth
studio album. The song debuted at number thirty-two on the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at
number one, making it Tesfaye's fourth number-one single.[160][161] "Blinding Lights" was released two
days after the release of "Heartless" on November 29. The single debuted at number eleven on
the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number one, making it Tesfaye's fifth number-one single.
[162]
 "Blinding Lights" would then go on to become the first song in the chart's history to hold a spot in
the top ten for an entire year.[163] It also became the longest charting song on the Hot 100 of all-
time at 90 weeks, ending the week of September 11, 2021.[164][165] On November 23, 2021, "Blinding
Lights" was ranked as the #1 Greatest Hot 100 Hit of All Time by Billboard, surpassing "The Twist"
by Chubby Checker.[166]
On February 19, 2020, Tesfaye revealed that his fourth studio album would be titled After Hours, and
would be released on March 20. He also released the album's title track as a promotional single.
[167]
 On March 7, he made his third appearance as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, alongside
actor Daniel Craig. On the show, he performed "Blinding Lights" and debuted the track "Scared to
Live".[168] Tesfaye released the album's third single "In Your Eyes" on March 24. The track peaked at
number sixteen on the Billboard Hot 100.[169]
Upon release,[170] After Hours debuted atop the Billboard 200, earning 444,000 units, marking
Tesfaye's fourth consecutive number-one album.[171] It became the most streamed R&B album of all-
time, surpassing Tesfaye's own Starboy.[172][7] In the album's first charting week, Tesfaye also became
the first artist to lead the Billboard 200, Billboard Hot 100, Billboard Artist 100, Hot 100 Songwriters
and Hot 100 Producers charts simultaneously, and repeated his lead the following week.[173][174] The
deluxe version of After Hours was released on March 29, 2020, and contained the tracks "Nothing
Compares", "Missed You" and "Final Lullaby".[175]
On August 7, 2020, Tesfaye was featured on the late Juice Wrld's single "Smile" from his first
posthumous album Legends Never Die. On August 28, he was featured on Calvin Harris' single
"Over Now". On October 30, Tesfaye appeared on Ariana Grande's song "Off the Table" from her
sixth studio album Positions.[176][177] On the same day, he appeared on Oneohtrix Point Never's track
"No Nightmares" from his ninth studio album Magic Oneohtrix Point Never, which he also executive
produced with OPN.[178] On November 5, he appeared on the remix of Maluma's "Hawái", was
nominated for Best Urban Fusion/Performance at the 22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards.[179][180] Later
that month, he debuted three live performances on Vevo.[181] On December 10, he performed
at iHeartRadio's Jingle Ball.[182]

2021–present: Super Bowl LV halftime show and Dawn FM

Main articles: The Highlights, Super Bowl LV halftime show, Dawn FM, and After Hours til Dawn
Tour

Tesfaye headlined the Super Bowl LV halftime show at the Raymond James Stadium in 2021

On February 5, 2021, Tesfaye released his second greatest hits album The Highlights. The album
debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, making it Tesfaye's highest charting compilation
album and the biggest first week debut for a greatest hits album since Fully Loaded: God's
Country (2019).[183]
Tesfaye headlined the Super Bowl LV halftime show on February 7, 2021, becoming the first
Canadian solo artist to headline the show.[184][185][186][187] He reportedly spent US$7 million of his own
money on the Super Bowl performance.[188] Reviews of the performance were mixed.[189][190][191][192][193]
[194]
 The show resulted in a surge in streaming and downloads for Tesfaye's After Hours album as well
as for the seven other songs he performed.[195][196] The halftime show earned three nominations at
the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Variety Special (Live), Outstanding Lighting
Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special, and Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork,
Video Control for a Special.[197]
In March 2021, Tesfaye reissued his debut mixtape House of Balloons in its authentic form with the
original mixes and samples to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its release.[198][199] In a collaboration
with architect Daniel Arsham, limited edition merchandise was also released alongside the reissue.
Six months later, in August, Tesfaye reissued his second 2011 mixtape Thursday to celebrate the
tenth anniversary of its release.[200] Like House of Balloons, limited edition merchandise was released
to accompany the reissue, designed by artist Mr. Yanen.[201] Four months later, in December, Tesfaye
reissued his final 2011 mixtape Echoes of Silence to celebrate the tenth anniversary of its release.
[202]
 Following the earlier two mixtapes, limited edition merchandise was released alongside the
reissue, designed by illustrator Hajime Sorayama.[203] Tesfaye began to tease new music in May
2021. When asked about a new album during an interview with Variety, he explained that "if the last
record is the After Hours of the night, then The Dawn is coming".[204] On May 11, Tesfaye performed
"Save Your Tears" at the Brit Awards. He also accepted his first Brit Award for International Male
Solo Artist, which was presented to him by former first lady of the United States Michelle Obama.[205]
[206]
 On May 24, Tesfaye performed "Save Your Tears" at the Billboard Music Awards. He was
nominated for a record sixteen awards, and won ten, including Top Artist and Top Hot 100 Song.
When accepting his awards, Tesfaye continued to tease new music by saying "the After Hours are
done, and The Dawn is coming".[207] On May 28, he performed the remix of "Save Your Tears" at
the iHeartRadio Music Awards with Ariana Grande. On June 25, Tesfaye appeared on Doja Cat's
single "You Right" from her third studio album Planet Her.[208] On July 22, he appeared on Belly's
single "Better Believe" with Young Thug from his third studio album See You Next Wednesday.[209]
On August 2, 2021, Tesfaye released a snippet of new music on social media.[210] Later that day, he
covered the September 2021 issue of GQ, marking the magazine's first global publication.[211]
[212]
 Then, in a collaboration with NBC Sports and the 2020 Summer Olympics, Tesfaye announced
his single "Take My Breath", which was released on August 6.[213][214] Later that month, he appeared
on Kanye West's tenth studio album Donda on the track "Hurricane", which won Best Melodic Rap
Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.[215]
On October 4, 2021, during an episode of Memento Mori, Tesfaye revealed that his fifth studio
album is complete and that he was waiting on a "couple characters that are key to the
narrative."[216] He also revealed that he will be featured in a couple of songs that will arrive prior to the
album's release.[217] On October 18, Tesfaye announced that his upcoming tour, originally titled The
After Hours Tour, will be held entirely in stadiums due to arena constraints and is now scheduled to
commence in July 2022.[218] The tour was renamed as the After Hours til Dawn Tour, and will
incorporate elements from his fourth and fifth studio albums.[219][220] The Weeknd is currently on tour in
North America, and will visit the continents South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and
the country Australia.[221]
On October 22, 2021, Tesfaye appeared on Swedish House Mafia's single "Moth To A Flame" from
their debut studio album Paradise Again.[222] On November 5, he appeared on Post Malone's single
"One Right Now" from his fourth studio album Twelve Carat Toothache.[223][224] On November 11, he
was featured on Rosalía's single "La Fama" from her third studio album Motomami.[225][226] On
December 16, Tesfaye was featured on FKA Twigs' single "Tears in the Club" from her debut
mixtape Caprisongs.[227][228] The next day, on December 17, he was featured on Aaliyah's single
"Poison" from her posthumous album Unstoppable.[229][230]
Tesfaye released his fifth studio album Dawn FM on January 7, 2022.[231] Upon release, the album
debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 148,000 units, marking Tesfaye's eighth top ten
entry and his second non-consecutive album to debut at number two.[232][233] He also broke the record
for the most simultaneous entries for a male soloist on the Billboard Global 200, with twenty-four
songs on the chart.[234][235] In addition to "Take My Breath", Dawn FM was supported by the singles
"Sacrifice" and "Out of Time".[236][237] An "alternate world" edition of the album, featuring a remix of
Sacrifice, the single version of "Take My Breath", and the previously released track "Moth To A
Flame", was released on January 12.[238] After a while, a remix of the song "Out Of Time" was also
added to the version. The Alternate world edition was released alongside a music video for the song
"Gasoline", and a music video for the Sacrifice Remix.[239][240] On February 26, Tesfaye premiered The
Dawn FM Experience, a television music special in partnership with Amazon Prime Video.[241]
On March 3, Tesfaye announced show dates of leg 1 of his After Hours til Dawn Stadium Tour. Leg
1 spans across the United States and Canada.[242] Dates for other countries are yet to be announced.
On March 20, the Weeknd played in an episode of the cartoon The Simpsons.[243] A music video was
released on April 5, for the song "Out of Time".[244] The music video stars HoYeon Jung and Jim
Carrey. On April 18, he headlined the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival for the second time,
performing alongside Swedish House Mafia.[245][246] On July 22, another music video was released, for
the song "How Do I Make You Love Me?"[247] On July 26, 2022, the Weeknd announced that will host
a haunted house at Universal Studios Hollywood for Halloween, as part of the Universal's Halloween
Horror Nights hosted every Halloween.[248] He will style the haunted houses with aesthetic of his 2020
album After Hours and the corresponding music videos and other artworks.
The Weeknd released various remixes of songs off of Dawn FM. On April 22, 2022, he released a
remix of the song "Out Of Time", in collaboration with Kaytranada.[249] On July 1, 2022, he
collaborated with Mike Dean and made a remix for the song "Starry Eyes".[250] On July 8, 2022,
Tesfaye released a remix for the song "Dawn FM", in collaboration with Oneohtrix Point Never.
[251]
 With the music video for the song "How Do I Make You Love Me?", the Weeknd released a remix
of the song on July 22, 2022. He collaborated with Sebastian Ingrosso and Salvatore Ganacci.[252] On
August 5, 2022, the Weeknd collaborated with Summer Walker, to make a remix of the song "Best
Friends".[253] On November 29, 2022, The Weeknd announced the second leg of his After Hours til
Dawn Tour, which will cross Europe and Latin America.[254] On December 4, 2022, The Weeknd
announced that he will contribute an original song, called "Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength),"
to the Avatar: The Way of Water Soundtrack. The song was released on 16 December, 2022, and is
produced by Simon Franglen & Swedish House Mafia. On January 1, 2023, his song Blinding Lights
became the most streamed song on Spotify with 3.3 billion streams.[255] On January 7, 2023, a year
since the release of Dawn FM, he released a music video for the song "Is There Someone Else?".[256]

Artistry
Influences
Tesfaye cites Michael Jackson, Prince, and R. Kelly as his main musical inspirations

Tesfaye cites Michael Jackson, Prince, and R. Kelly as his main musical inspirations.[257] He has
attributed Jackson's music as key in spurring him to be a singer, referencing the lyrics to "Dirty
Diana" as an example.[21] His high-flying vocal style was influenced by Ethiopian singers such
as Aster Aweke.[21] He grew up listening to a variety of music genres, including soul, hip
hop, funk, indie rock, and post-punk.[258] Tesfaye is heavily influenced by 1980s music, and credits the
video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) for "opening my eyes" to the music of that era.
[259]
 "I've always had an admiration for the era before I was born", he said in an interview for Billboard.
"You can hear it as far back as my first mixtape that the '80s – Siouxsie and the Banshees, Cocteau
Twins – play such a huge role in my sound."[260]
Tesfaye has named Deftones as one of his influences during the making of House of
Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence.[261] He has also cited Lana Del Rey,[262] David Bowie,[263] the
Smiths, Bad Brains, Talking Heads, DeBarge,[264] 50 Cent, Wu-Tang Clan,[265][266] and Eminem as
influences and inspirations.[267][268] When Daft Punk announced their split in 2021, Tesfaye praised
them during an interview with Variety, saying: "Those guys are one of the reasons I make music, so I
can't even compare them to other people..."[269]

Production and songwriting