ABEL TESFAYE
While the hype regarding The Weeknd’s identity of Canadian recording artist and producer, Abel Tesfaye, has subsided, there is still a mysterious air around this musician and his ethereal sound.
The initially unknown alternative R&B project leaked a free, nine-song album “House of Balloons” in March 2011. The album was the first in a three-part trilogy which also includes “Thursday,” released August 2011, and “Echoes of Silence,” released winter this past December. Under the label XO (which can mean kisses and hugs, or Ecstasy and Oxycontin, depending on your interpretation), “House of Balloons” was nominated for the 2011 Canadian Polaris Music Prize and won the 2012 Sirius XM Indie Awards for Urban artist of the year as well as the Stereogum Award for Top 10 New Acts of 2011.
Abel Tesfaye, famously known as The Weeknd, has been sending out unique R&B vibes and luring the attention of hopeless romantics and troubled, twisted souls ever since the release of his first mixtape, The House of Balloons. There’s a mystery and intrigue that surrounds his seductive croons and the same bizarre ballads of love, lust, and drugs found on House of Balloons parallel The Weeknd’s highly anticipated Thursday album.
Thursday fully satiates your darker, racy side, inviting you to indulge is your wildest and most twisted fantasies. You can’t help but become hypnotized by The Weeknd’s downright sexy sonic flow and raw lyrics. Track 4, “The Zone,” says it all: “So let me sip this slow/I’ll give you what you called for/Just let me get in my zone/I’ll be making love to her through you/So let me keep my eyes closed.”
Abel Tesfaye, also known as The Weeknd, is apparently done toying with the Internet through a series of mysterious mp3 releases and video postings. Last night he finally broadcast his magic into the open with his first ever gig in Toronto at the sold-out Mod Club. While the quality of these videos isn’t exactly up to par, you can still tell how well his music translates to a live setting. It is obvious that the one-man-band has incredible vocals and a loyal fan base, as the audience seems to know every word to every song.
The Weeknd has taken the music industry by storm with his lingering mixtape, House of Balloons. And with his fellow hometown buddy Drizzy Drake working closely with the R&B crooner, you can expect these two to be releasing new material in the very near future.
From Toronto, Canada, Abel Tesfaye, also known as The Weeknd, has been sending out unique R&B vibes and attracting the attention of fellow prodigies like Drake and Timbaland. The group possesses mystery and intrigue as they arrived seemingly out of nowhere, unsigned and unknown. With the suave assistance of Toronto's greatest musical marvel, Drake, who exposed a few of The Weeknd's talented tracks on his "October's Very Own" blog, the group has become an object of obsession for everyone from hipster music junkies to mainstream hip-hop devotees. Countless downloads of The Weeknd's debut mixtape titled "House of Balloons" have been bombarding the airwaves and making fans go grazy for Tesfaye's sensual melodies and raw, inviting lyrics.
It was late 2010 when The Weeknd's first tracks were leaked. Though no one knew who the artist behind the music was, the songs, "What You Need", "The Morning", and "Loft Music" were uploaded to YouTube and released to the public. On March 21st, 2011, House of Balloons was officially self-released on The Weeknd's website. Since then, Abel Tesfaye, the Toronto-based R&B singer responsible for The Weeknd, has been turning heads left and right. Pitchfork gave the album an 8.5 of 10 with a nod for "Best New Music" and Hip-Hop guru, Drake, quoted a line from the track, "Wicked Games" on his Twitter account along with linking to The Weeknd's website. You can download the full digital release House of Balloons here.
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