It's no secret that The Weekend, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, is my favorite artist of all time. He speaks so much truth in his music, far more than many artists do today. His voice makes anyone fall in love at the first second. Abel was a very private musician for several years. As he has become more known to the public and a charting artist, he has opened up more to his fans about how what inspired his music and his life before the fame.
Here are some things I learned about the musician.
1. He believes the house he rents in Hollywood Hills is haunted. He says that he sleeps in paralysis and sometimes he hears voices.
2. His famous hair (pictured below) was inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat. He grew it out for four years, only washing it occasionally. In 2016, with his new album release, Starboy, he did away with it.
3. Abel was born from Ethiopian parents. He enjoys Ethiopian music and dance. He also is fluent in Amharic, the language spoken in Ethiopia.
4. He's obsessed with the Joker. He likes the Joker because, “…You don’t know his past, you just know what his plans are.”
5. He has a history of drug use. From the age of 11, he has been no stranger to the drug world.
6. He's famous for "XO crew", believed to stand for ecstasy and oxycontin.
7. All of his music is inspired to his true life. "When I'm fucked up, tha'ts the real me." a popular line from The Hills, represents his earlier life of drugs and partying.
8. Abel is highly influenced by Drake. Many of the songs The Weekend wrote for House of Balloons, ended up on Drake's double platinum 2011 album Take Care. Drake has noted the numerous songs that The Weeknd has helped him write.
9. The Weeknd started his career with 3 mix tapes, House of Balloons (2011), Echoes of Silence (2011), and Thursday (2011). From there, those 3 mix tapes turned into his first album, Trilogy (2012). After that, he release 3 more albums, Kissland (2013), Beauty Behind the Madness (2015), and his latest album, Starboy (2016).
10. Abel Tesfaye says he adopted the stage name The Weeknd after dropping out of high school at the age of 17 and, along with a fellow crew-member, “left one weekend and never came home”.
11. In September of 2015, The Weeknd became the first male artist in nearly seven years with two songs on the Hot 100’s top three in the same week, with “Can’t Feel My Face” at #2 and “The Hills” at #3.
12. The Weeknd gives major credit and influence to Lana Del Rey. The Weeknd has said that Lana and himself have always "spoken to each other in their music" and "She is the girl in my music and I am the guy in her music." Lana was featured on his Beauty Behind the Madness album. She also helped pen Stargirl on his Starboy album.
