The Weeknd — born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye — is one of the most commercially successful and influential recording artists of the 21st century, with over 75 million records sold and the distinction of holding the record for the most monthly listeners on Spotify. In 2025 he entered a uniquely transitional moment in his career: releasing Hurry Up Tomorrow, his final album under The Weeknd moniker, and signaling his rebrand to his birth name Abel Tesfaye — a moment that has created entirely new biographical search queries with virtually no established content yet competing.
Early Life
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye was born on February 16, 1990, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and raised in the Scarborough district of the city by his Ethiopian immigrant parents — his mother, Samra Tesfaye, and his father, Makkonen Tesfaye, who separated when Abel was very young. He is of Ethiopian descent and grew up in a household where Amharic was spoken. He has spoken about a difficult childhood shaped by his father's absence and his mother's long working hours, and he dropped out of high school at age 17. He adopted the stage name "The Weeknd" in 2009 — a reference to him and a friend leaving school one weekend and never coming back, with the spelling modified to avoid trademark conflict with a Canadian band already named The Weekend.
Career
Tesfaye began releasing music anonymously on YouTube in 2010, and his debut mixtapes House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence (all 2011) created massive underground buzz and earned critical acclaim. He signed with Republic Records in 2012 and released his debut studio album Kiss Land (2013), followed by Beauty Behind the Madness (2015, featuring The Hills and Can't Feel My Face, both Billboard Hot 100 number ones), Starboy (2016, featuring the title track with Daft Punk), After Hours (2020, featuring Blinding Lights — the longest-charting solo song in Billboard Hot 100 history), Dawn FM (2022), and Hurry Up Tomorrow (January 31, 2025). His After Hours Til Dawn Tour, which began in 2022, was extended through 2026 and has grossed over $735.8 million with 5.8 million tickets sold — making it one of the highest-grossing tours of all time. He co-created and starred in the HBO series The Idol (2023) and the film Hurry Up Tomorrow (May 16, 2025, co-starring Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan), which was critically panned and grossed just $7.8 million worldwide against a $15 million budget.
Rebrand to Abel Tesfaye
Throughout 2024 and 2025, Tesfaye has spoken extensively about feeling disconnected from his alter ego "The Weeknd" and his desire to retire the stage name following Hurry Up Tomorrow. In interviews, he described the character of The Weeknd as having completed its narrative arc across the After Hours, Dawn FM, and Hurry Up Tomorrow trilogy. He has suggested that future music may be released under his birth name Abel Tesfaye, marking a fundamental shift in his artistic identity. This transitional moment has created entirely new search queries — "Abel Tesfaye," "The Weeknd rebrand," "Abel Tesfaye new album" — that have zero established biographical content competing for ranking.
Net Worth
As of 2026, The Weeknd's estimated net worth is approximately $300 million. His wealth is driven by his music catalog (over 75 million records sold and billions of streams, making him one of the most streamed artists in Spotify history), the After Hours Til Dawn Tour grossing over $735 million, brand partnerships including Bacardi and Puma, his HBO and film work, and real estate holdings in Los Angeles, New York, and Toronto.
Personal Life
The Weeknd has been in high-profile relationships with model Bella Hadid (on-and-off from 2015 to 2019) and singer-actress Selena Gomez (2017). As of 2026, he has kept his romantic life largely private. He has been candid about his past struggles with substance abuse and has donated significantly to humanitarian causes, including $1 million to Global Aid for Lebanon in 2020 and $2 million in humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza through his XO Humanitarian Fund in 2024.
Quick Facts
- Full Name: Abel Makkonen Tesfaye
- Date of Birth: February 16, 1990
- Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Nationality: Canadian
- Height: 5 ft 8 in
- Net Worth: $300 Million (2026)
- Best Known For: Blinding Lights, Starboy, After Hours Til Dawn Tour ($735M+), Hurry Up Tomorrow final album as The Weeknd
