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Abel Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), better known by his stage name The Weeknd, is a Canadian recording artist and record producer of Ethiopian descent. Songs recorded under The Weeknd uploading them to YouTube in late 2010, though the identity of the individual behind the project was initially unknown. The Weeknd released a nine-song free mixtape, House of Balloons, on 21 March 2011. This mixtape is a part of a trilogy which includes  Thursday, released on 18 August 2011, and Echoes of Silence, released on 21 December 2011. The song "High for This" produced by Cirkut was featured in the promo for the final season of the HBO show Entourage On June 16, 2011, House of Balloons was named as a longlisted nominee for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize. On July 6, the album was named as one of ten shortlisted nominees but eventually lost to Arcade Fire's The Suburbs. On December 21, 2011 at 11:07 p.m. EST Tesfaye released his highly anticipated third mixtape Echoes of Silence. The Weeknd's site crashed shortly after due to the large number of downloads. The Weeknd quickly provided a Hulkshare link to keep the album available while the official site was down. Since hitting the scene, The Weeknd has received praise from a number of musical publications, including those of MTV, BET, Rolling Stone, XXL, The Source and 2DopeBoyz, who have all dubbed him the "Songbird of his Generation", as well as the "best musical talent since Michael Jackson" (John Norris, MTV).

Performances
The Weeknd’s first performance was at the Mod Club on College Street in Toronto. Approximately an hour and a half long first performance created a lot of buzz about this young R&B singer Tesfaye’s next performance took place at Toronto’s Molson Canadian Amphitheatre. He collaborated with rapper Drake and appeared as one of the special guests to Drake’s 2nd Annual OVO Fest on July 31st, 2011 In addition, The Weeknd is expected to perform at the 3rd Annual OVO Fest as one of Drake’s special guests. The tentative date has been set for August 5th, 2012

House of Balloons

 * 1) 	High For This
 * 2) 	What You Need
 * 3) 	House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls
 * 4) 	The Morning
 * 5) 	Wicked Games
 * 6) 	The Party & The After Party
 * 7) 	Coming Down
 * 8) 	Loft Music
 * 9) 	The Knowing.

In late 2010, Abel Tesfaye uploaded three songs: "What You Need," "Loft Music," and "The Morning" to YouTube. A nine-track free album titled House of Balloons was digitally released on 21 March 2011 through the artist's official website. Hip-hop artist Drake has been partly credited for generating public awareness for The Weeknd, after he quoted a line from the track "Wicked Games" via Twitter and linked to the singer's music on his website.

His first album House of Balloons was issued in 2011. Pitchfork Media's Joe Colly wrote that "all the thematic and sonic pieces fit together - these weird, morning-after tales of lust, hurt, and over-indulgence ... are matched by this incredibly lush, downcast music. It's hard to think of a record since probably The xx's debut ... that so fully embodies such a specific nocturnal quality." Frontier Psychiatrist's L.V. Lopez claimed the album was "brilliant, disturbing, and not safe for work," calling the song "Loft Music" a song that is "so unsafe it should come with a child-proof cap, so dirty that you’ll feel guilty the next time you see your wife." Tom Ewing of The Guardian said that although the singing and songwriting on House of Balloons "aren't especially strong by R&B standards," the Weeknd is receiving "so much attention" as a result of its "command of mood." Sean Fennessey of The Village Voice called the album "impressive" and added, "It's patient, often gorgeous, and consistently louche ... with the sort of blown-out underbelly and echo-laden crooning that has already made Drake's less-than-a-year-old Thank Me Later such an influential guidepost." Maegan McGregor of Exclaim! praised the album: "Packed full of sex, drugs and some downright killer production, this easily stands as one of the year's best debuts so far, hipster, Top 40 or otherwise." Sputnik Music's Tyler Fisher said that "despite being a free album, House of Balloons feels like a true album, a true labor of love." The title track samples Siouxsie and the Banshees' 1980 single "Happy House." When House of Balloons was also named #1 album of 2011 by Complex magazine, the album beat both Drake's Take Care and Watch the Throne by Jay-Z and Kanye West for the number 1 spot.

Thursday

 * 1) Lonely Star
 * 2) Life Of The Party
 * 3) Thursday
 * 4) The Zone
 * 5) The Birds Part One
 * 6) The Birds Part Two
 * 7) Gone
 * 8) Rolling Stone
 * 9) Heaven Or Las Vegas.

"Thursday" is the second mixtape released by the Ethiopian-Canadian Toronto native, The Weeknd. The mixtape was released shortly after "House of Balloons" on August 8th, 2011. Thursday was released on XO's label along with his other two mixtapes. Although the mixtape was released for free on his website as a digital download, the feedback it received was enormously positive. Thursday was produced in Toronto, Ontario with the help of Doc McKinney and Illangelo.

Echoes of Silence

 * 1) D.D
 * 2) Montreal
 * 3) Outside
 * 4) XO The Host
 * 5) Initiation
 * 6) Same Old Song
 * 7) The Fall
 * 8) Next
 * 9) Echoes of Silence.

The Weeknd's third and final installment of mixtapes, entitled "Echoes of Silence", was released in December 21st, 2011. The hardworking young artist successfully produced a series of 3 mixtapes in the span of 1 year. 'Echoes of Silence' has been described lyrically as his most powerful and emotional mixtape to date.

Awards

 * rowspan="1"|2011 Polaris Music Prize
 * "House of Balloons"
 * Canadian Polaris Music Prize
 * Nominated
 * rowspan="2"|2012 MTV Video Music Awards
 * Wicked Games
 * Too Much Ass for TV
 * Nominated
 * Himself
 * Best Web-born Artist
 * Nominated
 * rowspan="1"|2012 mtvU Music Awards
 * Himself
 * Breaking Woodie
 * Nominated
 * rowspan="2"|2012 Sirius XM Indie Awards
 * Himself
 * Solo Artist of the Year
 * Nominated
 * Himself
 * Urban Artist/Group or Duo of the Year
 * Won
 * rowspan="1"|2011 Stereogum Awards
 * Himself
 * Top 10 New Acts of 2011
 * Won
 * Urban Artist/Group or Duo of the Year
 * Won
 * rowspan="1"|2011 Stereogum Awards
 * Himself
 * Top 10 New Acts of 2011
 * Won
 * Won

Awards

 * rowspan="1"|2011 Polaris Music Prize
 * "House of Balloons"
 * Canadian Polaris Music Prize
 * Nominated
 * rowspan="2"|2012 MTV Video Music Awards
 * Wicked Games
 * Too Much Ass for TV
 * Nominated
 * Himself
 * Best Web-born Artist
 * Nominated
 * rowspan="1"|2012 mtvU Music Awards
 * Himself
 * Breaking Woodie
 * Nominated
 * rowspan="2"|2012 Sirius XM Indie Awards
 * Himself
 * Solo Artist of the Year
 * Nominated
 * Himself
 * Urban Artist/Group or Duo of the Year
 * Won
 * rowspan="1"|2011 Stereogum Awards
 * Himself
 * Top 10 New Acts of 2011
 * Won
 * Urban Artist/Group or Duo of the Year
 * Won
 * rowspan="1"|2011 Stereogum Awards
 * Himself
 * Top 10 New Acts of 2011
 * Won
 * Won