The Weeknd is a Toronto-based singer named Abel Tesfaye. Songs recorded under 'The Weeknd' name first leaked in late 2010, though the identity of the individual behind the project was initially unknown. The Weeknd released a nine-song album, House Of Ballons, on 21 March 2011. The album is a part of a trilogy which includes Thursday and Echoes of Silence, to be released in the summer and autumn respectively.In late 2010, The Weeknd uploaded three songs - "What You Need", "Loft Music" and "The Morning" - to his YouTube channel. A nine-track album titled House of Balloons was digitally released on 21 March 2011 through the artist's official website. 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. In a review of the House of Balloons album, Pitchfork Media's Joe Colly wrote thatthese weird, "all the thematic and sonic pieces fit together - 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 that so fully embodies such a specific nocturnal quality." The album isdi "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." "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 mixtape, House of Balloons feels like a true album, a true labor of love."
The mystery surrounding The Weeknd is starting to dissipate. He’s still mysterious, but he’s gone from a complete question mark to a human being who has shadows and footprints. Before he was called The Weeknd, Tesfaye was part of a production team called The Noise. These tracks are from those days
