When The Weeknd released three unassuming singles to his YouTube channel in December 2010, there’s no way he could have predicted the instant response that it garnered online. By the end of the year, he had already been covered by The New York Times and Pitchfork, and had a co-sign from Drake. Other than his unique spacy R&B sound and one of a kind voice, the main thing that stuck out about him was his image, or lack thereof.
As “What You Need,” “Loft Music” and “The Morning” were taking over the internet, there wasn’t any trace of his identity to be found. The songs were posted to a channel that wasn’t connected to his real name, and there were no photos of him to be found anywhere online. The mystique started to build; who was this anonymous person making the most exciting music in the underground at the time?
For any artist on the bubble of a blowup, the first full length project being well received is an essential part of the process. When The Weeknd dropped “House of Balloons,” it was clear as day that he was going to be a star. Not only did he have all of the chops needed, he had the ambition to do something different musically. The true Pioneers of ambient R&B, he was a breath of fresh air to a genre still on a hangover from a legendary 2000s.
After the success of “House of Balloons,” it was only a matter of time before he was going to get hassled for booking shows. The problem, however, is that his identity still hadn’t been revealed. Four months after the release of his debut mixtape, it was finally time. He booked a show at the Mod Club in Toronto on July 24, 2011, where he showed the world who he was for the first time.
The show was a clear turning point in The Weeknd’s career. He moved at his own pace in the industry at first, landing big placements on the albums of the stars, but he himself hadn’t become a household name yet. By the time he dropped his first studio album, “Kiss Land,” he was ready to take over. The album sold 96,000 copies first week, debuting at number 2 on the Billboard 200. Still, it wasn’t even a fraction of what was next for him.
“Beauty Behind the Madness” was a nuclear bomb of an album, selling 412,000 units first week. It also earned him his two first No. 1 Billboard hits and seven Grammy nominations, grabbing two wins. “Can’t Feel My Face” became his most popular song of all time before the release of “Blinding Lights” in 2019. His takeover was in full swing, and he showed no signs of stopping.
Since then, he’s become the version of himself that the whole planet knows. In a world of music where everybody is trying to have the most mass appeal, he’s become the standard without sacrificing quality. “Blinding Lights” is the most streamed song of all time, and everything since has felt like one big victory lap. Despite all that he’s accomplished, it’s unforgettable that he started out as a faceless artist in the Toronto underground.
By Chris Johnson