Before Canadian singing sensation The Weeknd was The Weeknd, he was just a young man named Abel Tesfaye who came from a family of Ethiopian immigrants. On the latest installment of Before They Were Famous, we get an inside look into the trials and tribulations that The Weeknd went through before he was a known celebrity with his current level of fame and success.
After his father abandoned the family at a young age, Abel was raised by his grandmother mostly. When he realized school wasn’t quite for him, he teamed up with fellow XO member Lamar to drop out of school and pursue their careers in the music industry.
When it was brought to his attention that another Canadian act went by the name The Weekend, Abel just remixed the name a bit and dropped the “E,” hence why he spells it odd. After dropping his “House of Balloons” mixtape for free when he was only 21, he started to get major media attention after Drake acknowledged him. The New York Times shortly after picked up the story and ever since then, The Weeknd’s music career has been buzzing.
Watch the full video below to see Abel’s transformation process!
