Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (stage name: The Weeknd) is a Canadian singer and producer who rose to fame after posting some of his songs on YouTube. His dark-style R&B style gained many fans and, in 2012, he signed with Republic Records. His first studio album, land of kissesreleased in 2013, and two years later, The Weeknd released his successful second studio album. beauty behind the madness.
The Weeknd’s third studio album, Star Boy, won Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 2018 Grammy Awards. His accolades include five American Music Awards, three Grammy Awards, and nine Billboard Music Awards. The Weeknd recently stunned the world with a unique and polarizing performance at Super Bowl halftime.
The Weeknd’s parents separated shortly after immigrating to Canada from Ethiopia.
The Weeknd’s parents, Makkonen and Samra Tesfaye, fled Ethiopia in the late 1980s due to civil war and severe drought. They settled in Toronto, Ontario, where The Weeknd was born on February 16, 1990.
Makkonen and Samra never married or had another child. They broke up when Abel was a little boy. With the help of Abel’s grandmother, Samra raised Abel in the Scarborough area of Toronto. Samra worked various jobs to support Abel and help him finish school.
Abel spent a lot of time with his grandmother while Samra spent a lot of time working. She learned Amharic from his beloved grandmother. In an interview with The GuardianThe Weeknd described Samra as “a great mom, very protective, very cultured”, but couldn’t stop her from dropping out of school at 17.
The Weeknd started down a dark path at the age of 11 when he took his first hit of marijuana. He quickly turned to hard drugs and, to maintain his habit, he shoplifted and used his welfare checks to buy Xanax, cocaine and ecstasy. At 17, Abel and his best friend went to Abel’s house, took Abel’s mattress, and went to live in the Parkdale area of Toronto.
Samra watched helplessly as her only son went to live with ‘students and crack addicts’. “The worst appearance anyone could have,” Abel said. The New York Times. “She looked at me as if she had failed.” Abel eventually kicked drugs, got back on track with his music career, and reconnected with his mother. “Everything good I get from my mother,” he told Rolling Stone.
The Weeknd’s estranged father expressed his desire to be reunited with his son
After parting ways with Samra, Makkonen rarely showed interest in Abel’s life. “I saw it vaguely when he was six, and then again when he was 11 or 12, and he had a new family and kids,” Abel said. Rolling Stone. Despite Makkonen’s absence, Abel never resented or judged him. “I’m sure he’s a great guy,” The Weeknd continued. “He wasn’t abusive, he wasn’t an alcoholic, he wasn’t an asshole. He just wasn’t there.”
In 2017, Makkonen spoke with Radar about her desire to meet with Abel. She talked about her dream of ‘creating a bridge between me and my son’. “I wish more than anything that I could make up for lost time, and I want to offer a sincere apology for not being there for him when he needed me the most,” Makkonen added.
At the time of the interview, Abel and Makkonen had not seen each other in 14 years.
Makkonen has been seen backstage during Abel’s performances. Therefore, it is very likely that the couple met again after more than a decade apart.
Abel’s mom refused to talk about life in Ethiopia
Abel’s mother was silent about the family’s life in Ethiopia. She got some things about the country from his uncles, but never from his mother. He said Rolling Stone:
“I remember hearing some stories from my uncles: they chewed khat and talked. But I don’t think my mom wanted to tell those stories. I don’t think Ethiopians want their children to feel that Ethiopia is a bad place.”
Abel’s mom and dad fled a massacre of tens of thousands of people in Ethiopia known as the Red Terror.
In Canada, Abel wondered why his mother didn’t give him a brother. “I always wanted a brother to have someone to play with,” Abel said. “I remember lying to people that I had brothers, that’s how much I wanted one.”
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn