The Weeknd

"Amy" Los Angeles Premiere - Arrivals

The Weeknd in 2015, photo by Prphotos.com

Birth Name: Abel Makkonen Tesfaye

Place of Birth: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Date of Birth: February 16, 1990

Ethnicity: Amhara Ethiopian

The Weeknd is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. His songs include “Love Me Harder,” “Earned It,” “The Hills,” “Can’t Feel My Face,” “In the Night,” “Acquainted,” “Starboy,” “I Feel It Coming,” “Party Monster,” “Die for You,” “Pray for Me,” “Call Out My Name,” “Heartless,” “Blinding Lights,” “After Hours,” “In Your Eyes,” “Smile,” “Save Your Tears,” “Hawái,” “You Right,” “Take My Breath,” “Hurricane,” “One Right Now,” “Sacrifice,” “Out of Time,” “Less than Zero,” “Creepin’,” “Double Fantasy,” “K-pop,” “Young Metro,” “Dancing in the Flames,” “Timeless,” and, in a feature role, “Crew Love” and “Low Life.” He has often used the falsetto register, and has created music in the contemporary and alternative R&B, pop, hip hop, dance-pop, new wave, and dream-pop styles. He co-founded the XO record label, and co-created and starred in the series The Idol. The Weeknd has sold over 75 million records worldwide; his song “Blinding Lights” has been the most-streamed in Spotify history. He has been a World Food Programme Goodwill Ambassador since 2021, and is an advocate against racism and food insecurity. He is also known as The Noise, Kin Kane, and by his birth name Abel Tesfaye.

The Weeknd’s parents, Samrawit Hailu and Makkonen Tesfaye, are Ethiopian. He is fluent in Amharic, a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia. Growing up, he attended services at an Ethiopian Orthodox church. He was raised in Scarborough, and attended a French-immersion school. The Weeknd grew up listening to soul, quiet storm, hip hop, funk, indie rock, and post-punk.

The Weeknd’s paternal grandfather is named Tesfaye.

The Weeknd’s maternal grandmother is named Hailu.

83 Responses

  1. Manila says:

    Ethiopian-Eritrean naming standards have the following name format:

    Given name (Child’s name) – Middle name (Father’s name) – Last name (Paternal grandfather’s name)

    Example: Prime Minister of Ethiopia Abiy Ahmed Ali, son of Ahmed Ali, son of Ali

    Based on this format, The Weeknd’s paternal grandfather is named Tesfaye.

  2. midori29 says:

    I just got back to this as I stated before @nieltenant The Weekend does not look half caucasian at all. He looks regular black. The average black man. His hair is much much too kinky. Most mixed people do not have hair like his, it tends to be finer, etc.. His hair extremely thick, course and bushy. The hair is a giveaway with the exception of singer Lenny Kravitz and even his hair is not as course. Most lighter skinned black people and he is not that light that have very very kinky hair like “The Weekend” are usually not half caucasian and you should know that one. There are tons of 100 percent black Africans his skin tone and lighter. Not to mention The Weekend has very heavy lips and other features. I do not know how he gets supermodels as he is not that good looking. Link to more 100 percent light skinned black Africans https://youtu.be/lOTH8_CCr5M

    • andrew says:

      _ He looks regular black. The average black man

      LMFAO

      The woman in your video is a South African Khoisan, which are not even classified as “Negroid” by some anthropologists, and are a different people from the other Sub-Sarahan ethnic groups.

      • liathecrazyflower says:

        Ethiopians are different but are they part black, African, perhaps? But not only African, because it certainly has different traits, right?
        Andrew
        What African woman is this
        I thought that these people were just a conjoint without having light or dark skin
        Are all these ethnicities like this?
        I thought that people of that ethnicity could have be very dark skin tone or light

      • liathecrazyflower says:

        Ethiopes has striking features african, but looks mixed too

  3. Mixed Kidd says:

    CORRECTION: Add this, He is the son is Samra and Makkonen Tesfaye

  4. Kimmel says:

    So he’s now 27 and not 30? Hmmm…

  5. midori29 says:

    PRINCE the singer had two black parents and was African American compare him to the WEEKEND and the WEEKEND does not look mixed at all.

    PRINCE
    http://groovevolt.com/2016/06/29/prince-purple-rain-motorcycle-jacket-and-ruffled-shirt-auctioned-on-ebay/

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