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The Weeknd | Tunes + Guitar Lessons

Canadian singer-songwriter Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, rose from underground anonymity to worldwide superstardom. His blend of moody lyricism and infectious pop hooks has redefined modern music!

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The Weeknd: Earning It from Fifty Shades to Blinding Lights

Canadian artist Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, known professionally as The Weeknd, began his career under various aliases, including The Noise and Kin Cane, before settling on his now-iconic stage name. His debut album, released in 2013, garnered positive reviews, particularly due to his high-profile collaborations with Sting, Pharrell Williams, and a guest appearance by Drake on Live For.

However, it was in 2015 when The Weeknd truly broke into global stardom with Earned It, a single for the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack. The track went on to sell over 10 million copies in the U.S. alone and reached the top 10 in 20 countries, cementing his place in the mainstream music scene.

The Weeknd’s follow-up album, Beauty Behind The Madness (2015), featured Can’t Feel My Face, a Max Martin co-write that became a global sensation, topping charts worldwide and amassing 10 million sales in the U.S. It was widely considered one of the songs of the year.

In 2016, The Weeknd released Starboy, which boasted major hits such as the title track featuring Daft Punk, Die For You featuring Ariana Grande, and I Feel It Coming (also with Daft Punk). Starboy sold 4 million copies in the U.S. and produced three huge singles, with Die For You becoming the best performer, selling 5 million copies.

After a brief detour with the EP My Dear Melancholy in 2018, which included the hit Call Out My Name, The Weeknd returned with his fourth studio album, After Hours, in 2020. The album featured two of his biggest tracks to date: Blinding Lights and Save Your Tears (featuring Ariana Grande). Blinding Lights has since been streamed over 5 billion times, becoming one of the most-streamed songs in history. Save Your Tears also performed exceptionally well, with over 2.5 billion streams.

The Weeknd’s most recent album, Dawn FM (2022), didn’t replicate the same commercial success as After Hours, but it still made waves. Whether this marks the peak of his career or the beginning of a new phase remains to be seen. However, one thing is clear—The Weeknd’s influence, alongside his collaborations with stars like Ariana Grande, has solidified him as one of the defining pop artists of the 2010s and beyond.