Abel Tesfaye

Personal context

Summary

Abel Tesfaye, known professionally as The Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, producer, and actor whose work often explores fame, sex, drug use, trauma, and isolation. He co-created and starred in The Idol and starred in the film Hurry Up Tomorrow. In a 2016 interview, he said Hollywood’s diversity problem went deeper than awards and that “who’s writing diversity” mattered; in 2020, he donated to Black Lives Matter and other racial-justice organizations. He has also supported humanitarian food relief through the World Food Programme, including in Ethiopia and Gaza, and serves as a WFP Goodwill Ambassador.