The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, was born in 1990 in Scarborough, Ontario. He is a Canadian singer-songwriter known for his stage name The Weeknd and his music which blends pop, R&B and hip hop. Tesfaye grew up listening to soul, quiet storm, hip hop and indie rock and lived with his grandmother who spoke Amharic, which was his first language. He adopted the stage name The Weeknd after dropping out of high school with a friend and never returning home.