Latest news with #Tesfaye
Global News
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Global News
Toronto mayor proclaims ‘The Weeknd weekend,' gives performer key to the city
As The Weeknd wraps up his two-day concert in Toronto, he has received more than just a heartfelt goodbye from his hometown. Toronto-born global music icon Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye received the key to the city on Sunday from Mayor Olivia Chow in a ceremony recognizing the artist's extraordinary contributions to music, philanthropy and culture in the city. The honour was given following his four sold-out shows at the Rogers Centre. In a proclamation posted to social media, Chow proclaimed July 26-27, 2025, as 'The Weeknd Weekend' in Toronto, celebrating Tesfaye's rise from Scarborough to worldwide fame. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'I am proud to honour one of our city's greatest artists with a Key to the City to celebrate his contributions to music, society and our culture,' Chow wrote. The Weeknd called the recognition deeply meaningful. Story continues below advertisement 'It feels good to be home. Toronto is where I found my voice, and I'm committed to helping the next generation find theirs,' he said in the statement. Raised in southwest Scarborough, Tesfaye began uploading music anonymously in 2010. His 2011 mixtape House of Balloons helped define a new era of alternative R&B. Over the next decade, he became one of the most-streamed artists in the world. In 2021, he became the first Canadian solo artist to headline the Super Bowl halftime show. Globally, Tesfaye has donated more than $10 million to humanitarian efforts, including education programs and food aid. He serves as a UN World Food Programme Goodwill Ambassador and was awarded the Quincy Jones Humanitarian Award in 2021. The key to the city is Toronto's highest honour, reserved for individuals whose contributions have made a profound impact locally and beyond. In receiving it, The Weeknd joins a select group of notable recipients in the city.
The South African
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The South African
The Weeknd receives city honours in Toronto
Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, recently experienced a heartfelt return to his roots. On 26 July, the City of Toronto awarded him the Key to the City and declared the weekend as 'The Weeknd Weekend' in his honour. Local officials, community youth, and students from Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute, his former school, attended this private ceremony. Toronto's Mayor, Olivia Chow, praised the artist: 'Born in Toronto, Abel 'The Weeknd' Tesfaye represents the best of our city. From Scarborough to the global stage, he has reshaped modern R&B music as a multi-platinum, Diamond-certified artist, according to People . He uses his platform to create a lasting impact for Toronto and around the world.' She highlighted not only his musical achievements but also his ongoing commitment to positive change. The Weeknd addressed the gathering with gratitude. 'I'm deeply honoured to receive the Key to the City. It feels good to be home. Toronto is where I found my voice, and I'm committed to helping the next generation find theirs.' His connection to the city remains strong, as he continues to invest in its future. The singer revealed ambitious plans for community development. He will help revitalise a basketball court and build a mobile recording studio for the Boys & Girls Club of West Scarborough. Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute will also receive a new dance and arts studio, plus a sensory room for learners with developmental disabilities. Tesfaye's philanthropic commitment stretches far beyond Canada's borders. Since 2020, he has donated over R182 million to humanitarian causes globally. The Weeknd, who performs a series of homecoming shows in Toronto, has also achieved recent music milestones. Earlier this year, he became the highest-grossing Black male artist to perform at MetLife Stadium, according to Live Nation. His global influence underscores the potential for artists to bridge communities worldwide. Refusing to rest on his laurels, he shared with Variety, 'I don't think I can stop doing that. But everything needs to feel like a challenge.' He emphasised his desire to keep evolving and contributing. Tesfaye's example shows how one can give back, inspire young people, and remain ambitious, no matter the stage. His story is a compelling reminder for audiences in South Africa and beyond that roots, resilience, and reach matter in shaping a legacy. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Ottawa Citizen
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Ottawa Citizen
Dunlevy: The Weeknd brings the suspense, the heat and the hits in first of two massive Montreal concerts
Article content And then, drum roll … with no shortage of dramatic buildup, he removed the mask. Parc Jean-Drapeau erupted. Tesfaye absorbed the moment, putting his palms together in a gesture of gratitude. Chants of 'olé olé olé!' rippled through the sea of people. Article content 'Thank you so much,' Tesfaye said. 'I missed the Québec accent.' Article content Article content 'Tabarnac que c'est bon!' blurted a guy behind me, after a wildly exuberant rendition of the funk-soul smash Can't Feel My Face, off 2015's Beauty Behind the Madness. 'It's incredible — and it might be his last show.' (Tesfaye has teased that he may kill off the Weeknd persona after this tour.) Article content The guy's name was Tom, 24 and originally from Moncton, N.B. He was having the time of his life, hanging out with a growing crew of new acquaintances. Article content Article content Among them was Tatiana Savage, 23. 'I came with a friend, but I'm leaving with 15 new friends,' she said. Article content Article content The hits kept coming. A rowdy rendition of the raunchy 2015 single Often and the anthemic ballad I Was Never There (punctuated with bursts of flames — like we needed more heat) were answered with spontaneous chants of 'The Weeknd! The Weeknd!' and more olés. Article content 'Wow!' Tesfaye said. 'Wow, wow, wow. Merci Montréal. Je t'aime vraiment.' Article content Article content To top it all off, there were fireworks — first as part of the show, and then as backdrop, courtesy of Montreal's summer-long international fireworks competition while Tesfaye performed on a satellite stage in the middle of the crowd. Article content 'It was a liberating experience,' said Australia native Goldie Hendley, 25, on the métro ride home. 'I've been listening to The Weeknd for years. But hearing him live and not only on my Bluetooth speaker was magical.' Article content Article content Article content Some fans — this critic's 17-year-old nephew included — were disappointed by the last-minute withdrawal of opening act Playboi Carti from the bill. In what feels like an unfortunate callback to a bygone era, the American rapper (who will rejoin the tour when it returns to the U.S.) didn't make it into Canada due to problems at the border. That also robbed The Weeknd of a dynamic interlude, as Carti had been joining him on stage mid-set to perform their recent collaborations Timeless and Rather Lie. Article content Hometown DJ-producer hero Kaytranada filled in admirably, hyping up the crowd with a throwdown of his intricate, eminently groovy club jams. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
Montreal Gazette
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Montreal Gazette
Dunlevy: The Weeknd brings the suspense, the heat and the hits in first of two massive Montreal concerts
Music By As global pop superstar The Weeknd's After Hours Til Dawn Tour touched down for the first of two nights at Montreal's Parc Jean-Drapeau on Thursday, it was easy to forget the Toronto artist's humble underground roots. When Abel Makkonen Tesfaye began releasing murky alt-R&B tracks under his oblique moniker in 2009, a buzz quickly built around the elusive singer-songwriter, who kept his identity secret. A series of three mixtapes followed in 2011, as the hype reached epic proportions. A year later, the triptych got a major-label re-release as its own album, Trilogy, and Tesfaye's career was launched into the stratosphere. Fast-forward a decade and change and he is one of the biggest pop acts on the planet, a visionary artist who has never strayed from his sinister tales of late-night excess — sex, drugs and post-soul for the wee hours — even as he has polished his act to reach the top of the pop charts with amazing consistency. Proof of the 35-year-old's contemporary dominance: he holds the record for the most songs to have been streamed over one billion times on Spotify; the number, according to a count earlier this year, is an astonishing 27. He played most of them Thursday in a triumphant, career-spanning and heat wave-steamed set of more than two hours before a sellout crowd of 45,000 deliriously joyful fans. Combined with Friday's repeat performance, Tesfaye will have drawn the equivalent of close to six Bell Centre crowds over two nights. It was a heckuva party. The massive gathering of diehard fans sang and danced along to nearly every song, further evidence of Tesfaye's extensive repertoire of infectious hits. But to begin, he brought suspense. A crew of more than two dozen dancers took the stage, clad in red headscarves and matching robes, their faces covered by futuristic silver masks, to a soundtrack of ominously swelling synths. From among them emerged a black-clad and also masked Tesfaye. The crowd roared. The song was The Abyss (featuring Lana Del Rey), off his new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow. He followed with another, the disco romp Wake Me Up, which samples from Michael Jackson's Thriller — a fitting tribute to one of the golden-voiced Tesfaye's primary influences. People were losing their minds, and we were just two songs in. The ante was upped with the title track from his 2016 album Starboy (with everyone shouting out the chorus, 'I'm a motherf---in' starboy') and Heartless, off 2020's After Hours. And then, drum roll ... with no shortage of dramatic buildup, he removed the mask. Parc Jean-Drapeau erupted. Tesfaye absorbed the moment, putting his palms together in a gesture of gratitude. Chants of 'olé olé olé!' rippled through the sea of people. 'Thank you so much,' Tesfaye said. 'I missed the Québec accent.' He sprinkled songs from each of his albums through the night, and people didn't stop singing and dancing. 'Tabarnac que c'est bon!' blurted a guy behind me, after a wildly exuberant rendition of the funk-soul smash Can't Feel My Face, off 2015's Beauty Behind the Madness. 'It's incredible — and it might be his last show.' (Tesfaye has teased that he may kill off the Weeknd persona after this tour.) The guy's name was Tom, 24 and originally from Moncton, N.B. He was having the time of his life, hanging out with a growing crew of new acquaintances. Among them was Tatiana Savage, 23. 'I came with a friend, but I'm leaving with 15 new friends,' she said. The hits kept coming. A rowdy rendition of the raunchy 2015 single Often and the anthemic ballad I Was Never There (punctuated with bursts of flames — like we needed more heat) were answered with spontaneous chants of 'The Weeknd! The Weeknd!' and more olés. 'Wow!' Tesfaye said. 'Wow, wow, wow. Merci Montréal. Je t'aime vraiment.' To top it all off, there were fireworks — first as part of the show, and then as backdrop, courtesy of Montreal's summer-long international fireworks competition while Tesfaye performed on a satellite stage in the middle of the crowd. 'It was a liberating experience,' said Australia native Goldie Hendley, 25, on the métro ride home. 'I've been listening to The Weeknd for years. But hearing him live and not only on my Bluetooth speaker was magical.' Her friend Maya Hann, 23, concurred: 'It was amazing.' Some fans — this critic's 17-year-old nephew included — were disappointed by the last-minute withdrawal of opening act Playboi Carti from the bill. In what feels like an unfortunate callback to a bygone era, the American rapper (who will rejoin the tour when it returns to the U.S.) didn't make it into Canada due to problems at the border. That also robbed The Weeknd of a dynamic interlude, as Carti had been joining him on stage mid-set to perform their recent collaborations Timeless and Rather Lie. Hometown DJ-producer hero Kaytranada filled in admirably, hyping up the crowd with a throwdown of his intricate, eminently groovy club jams.
San Francisco Chronicle
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Santa what? The Weeknd flubs Bay Area city name during Levi's Stadium concert
The Weeknd committed the ultimate Bay Area sin during the first of two Levi's Stadium shows in Santa Clara, mixing up the South Bay city with the name of a similar sounding Los Angeles County suburb. A TikTok clip of the Canadian artist, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, shows the 'Save Your Tears' singer attempting to shout out the Bay Area city in which he was performing on Tuesday, July 8. It has since gone viral, with local fans in the comment section poking fun at his blunder. 'In Santa Clarita,' he sings in the brief video, recorded during his performance of 'Baptized in Fear,' a song from his sixth studio album, 'Hurry Up Tomorrow,' released in January. 'It's Santa Clara, not Santa Clarita,' an off-camera voice yells back, distinguishing the two cities, which are about 351 apart. As of Thursday, July 10, the video has been viewed more than 294,300 times and earned 26,700 likes. 'He was saying everything BUT Santa Clara,' one user commented, receiving more than 1,800 likes. Another joked that 'he seen an amusement park and got confused,' referring to California's Great America next to Levi's Stadium and Six Flags Magic Mountain located in Santa Clarita. The comment got nearly 4,000 likes. But he didn't totally forget where he was. A different TikTok user shared a slightly longer clip of the Weeknd's performance of the track, which shows the artist successfully referencing other Bay Area cities before the slip-up. 'I've been around the world, from San Francisco to San Jose,' he croons before accidentally name-dropping 'Santa Clarita.' Tesfaye also acknowledged other cities in the region during his Tuesday night performance, shouting out a few in between songs to hype up the crowd. 'Who's out here tonight,' he asked. 'We got San Francisco out here tonight — we got Frisco tonight? We got Oakland out here tonight? What's going on? Berkeley? San Jose?' The Weeknd isn't the only musician to get tripped up by Bay Area city names. Earlier in the night, rapper Playboi Carti called out 'San Fran' during his opening set, despite the city being an hour away. Thankfully, one TikTok user commented that Tesfaye correctly referred to the crowd as San Jose and Santa Clara for his final night at Levi's Stadium. (They added that Playboi Carti, on the other hand, still said San Francisco.) It's become common for artists to give the city in which they're performing special recognition during concerts, whether it be slipped into lyrics during a song — as the Weeknd attempted — or in between tracks. During Metallica 's recent stint at Levi's Stadium last month, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo performed a cover of Dionne Warwick's 'Do You Know the Way to San Jose.' Mick Jagger opted for a reference to the broader Silicon Valley during the Rolling Stones' Santa Clara show last summer, during which he joked about Waymos and the growing Bay Area crime rates. Beyoncé was appointed honorary mayor of Santa Clara for the day during her 'Renaissance' tour stop at Levi's Stadium in 2023. During her performance, the 'Cuff It' singer correctly named the city when addressing the crowd — an essential detail considering her official title.
