Static Live Magazine July 2020

By The RelucTanT Genius
6
With so much that is going on in today’s world
it’s nice to know that one of the things we have in
common is the love of music. Recently there’s been
an influx of young talent that has proven that, for
the future, things are well in hand when it comes to
creating new and exciting beats and lyrics.
This month’s featured artist has gained enormous
popularity, so when it comes to making hits
he has quickly climbed up the charts. Over the last 3
to 5 years he’s proven that his words and music are
meant to be shared with the world.
Here’s a little more about The Weeknd and why he
will be at the top of the charts for the foreseeable
future.
The Weeknd, born Abel Tesfaye on February 16,
1990. His parents had moved from Ethopia to
Canada, although his father left the family when he
was a toddler and he was raised in large part by his
grandmother. In a 2015 interview with Vanity Fair, he
described Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘til You Get
Enough” as the song that helped him find his voice. He
began recording while in high school. After dropping
out, he continued to pursue his music. He uploaded
several songs to YouTube anonymously and released
House of Balloons, a free download, in 2011. Tesfaye
initially had an air of mystery surrounding him and
used the aliases “Kin Kane” and “The Noise”.
He began a tour of Toronto at a venue called Mod
Club. Drake was in attendance and approached him
about a potential collaboration. He was often the
opening act for Drake and they worked together on
the 2011 album Take Care, featuring several tracks
from House of Balloons. This landed him a deal with
Universal’s Republic Records. His first US tour began
in April of 2012 at Coachella.
Tesfaye has collaborated with many artists, including
Justin Timberlake, Sia, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Kanye
West, Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Rey, Daft Punk and
Ariana Grande in addition to frequent collaborator
Drake. In September of 2015, he became the first
male artist to simultaneously hold the top three
spots on the Billboard Hot R&B chart with three
singles that preceded the release of the album.
Tesfaye grew up listening to a variety of music with
an admiration for the era before he was born. His
lyrics often express pain and include subject matters
such as partying and sex. He has launched his own
XO branded merchandise. In 2018, Marvel released
the comic Starboy, based on his chart-topping song
from the multi-platinum album of the same name.
Tesfaye has won three Grammy Awards, eight
Billboard Music Awards, two American Music Awards,
nine Juno Awards, and has been nominated for one
Academy Award. In April, he relaunched XO’s nonmedical
cloth facemasks in an effort to raise money
for MusiCares Coronavirus Relief Fund, a campaign
launched by the Grammys to help musicians affected
by the COVID-19 pandemic, with 100% of the proceeds
from the sale of the masks to be donated to the relief
fund.