The Weeknd’s Childhood In Scarborough, Ontario Was Anything But Easy

Although talent comes from every corner of the world, there's no denying that Canada has boasted some pretty amazing artists throughout the years. People like Drake and Justin Bieber are usually the first to come to mind, but there are plenty of others out there too, like The Weeknd. As is sometimes the case with big-time celebrities, The Weeknd's childhood in Scarborough was anything but easy.

Most of his fans know him by his stage name, but the Canadian performer was actually born as Abel Tesfaye in February of 1990 in the city of Toronto.

According to his Biography page, Tesfaye is the only son of two Ethiopian immigrants. His father left Tesfaye and his mother when he was just a child, and to this day, the two have very minimal contact.

Despite the hardships of his childhood, Tesfaye was still able to find a voice for himself with the help of music. His earliest influences included traditional Ethiopian music and Michael Jackson, specifically the song "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough".

When he was in high school, Tesfaye began taking music more seriously, and in order to pursue it full time, he dropped out. In 2011, the R&B icon recorded and released House of Balloons, the mixtape that got him noticed by Drake and launched his career.

Tesfaye's undeniable talent and dedication to his craft helped him find success at such a young age, but despite this, he chose to remain out of the spotlight for several years, using images of other people on his album covers and refusing interviews.

In more recent years, the Scarborough native has learned to embrace the spotlight, proudly posing for his album covers and posting more regularly on social media.

Throughout the years, the Canadian singer has also been romantically linked to big names like Selena Gomez and Bella Hadid, which has got to be a major confidence boost.

Despite being abandoned by his father and not making it through high school, Tesfaye has had a very successful career, and with the recent release of "Heartless" and "Blinding Lights", it seems as though only more big things are coming his way.

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