The Weeknd

Abęl Makkonen Tesfaye (born 16 February 1990), known professionally by his stage name The Weeknd (pronounced "the weekend"), is a Canadian singer, songwriter and record producer. In late 2010, Tesfaye anonymously uploaded several songs to YouTube under the name "The Weeknd". He released three nine-track mixtapes throughout 2011: House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence, which were critically acclaimed. The following year, he released a compilation album Trilogy, thirty tracks consisting of remastered versions of the mixtape material and three additional songs. It was released under Republic Records and his own label XO.

In 2013, he released his debut studio album Kiss Land, which was supported by the singles "Kiss Land" and "Live For". His second album, Beauty Behind the Madness, which became his first number one album on the Billboard 200, included the top-five single "Earned It" and produced the number-one singles "The Hills" and "Can't Feel My Face". The songs have simultaneously held the top three spots on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart, making him the first artist in history to achieve this.

The Trilogy

For the general use of the term "trilogy", see Trilogy.

The Trilogy is a series of three novels written by the Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz. The series follows dramatized versions of famous events in Polish history, weaving fact and fiction.

The first novel, titled With Fire and Sword, chronicles the 17th century Cossack revolt known as the Chmielnicki Uprising.

The second book, The Deluge, describes the Swedish invasion of Poland known as The Deluge.

The final novel, Fire in the Steppe (title of the original: Pan Wołodyjowski), follows wars between Poland and the Ottoman Empire in the late 17th century.

References

External links

Wicked Games

"Wicked Games" is the debut single by Canadian singer The Weeknd. It was recorded at Site Sound Studios and mixed at Liberty Studios in Toronto. Producers Doc McKinney and Illangelo co-wrote the song and performed all instrumentation. Originally recorded for The Weeknd's 2011 mixtape House of Balloons, the song was remastered and released as the lead single for his 2012 album Trilogy. It was released as a digital single on October 22, 2012, by Republic Records. On May 9, 2013, "Wicked Games" was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of 1,000,000 units in the United States. This song is also featured on the soundtrack for the movie Southpaw, the soundtrack's executive producer being American rapper Eminem.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes for Trilogy.

Kiss Land

Kiss Land is the debut studio album by Canadian singer The Weeknd. The album was released in the United States on September 10, 2013, by XO and Republic Records. Kiss Land was supported by six singles: "Kiss Land", "Belong to the World", "Love in the Sky", "Live For", "Pretty" and "Wanderlust". The album's sole guest appearance comes from frequent collaborator Drake. The album's production was primarily handled by Danny Boy Styles, The Weeknd himself and Jason "DaHeala" Quenneville.

Upon its release, Kiss Land received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 65, based on 31 reviews. The album debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200, selling 95,000 copies in its first week. As of August 2015, the album has sold 273,000 copies in the US.

Background

On March 17, 2013, The Weeknd announced his debut album would be titled Kiss Land. In July 2013, Amazon.com revealed that the album would be released on August 27, 2013. On July 22, 2013, it was announced that the album would be pushed back from August 27, 2013, until September 10, 2013. In July 2013, during an interview with Complex, The Weeknd described the album, saying:

House of Balloons

House of Balloons is the debut mixtape by Canadian singer The Weeknd, released as a free download on March 21, 2011, through his website. Its music incorporates electronic and urban genres including R&B and soul with trip hop, indie rock, and dream pop tonesContributions to the mixtape's production came from Canadian producers Doc McKinney, Zodiac, Illangelo.

Music

The album's eclectic music uses samples of songs by Beach House and Aaliyah's 2001 song "Rock the Boat". The title track heavily samples Siouxsie and the Banshees' 1980 single "Happy House". The track "The Knowing" samples "Cherry-Coloured Funk" by Cocteau Twins. Joe Colly of Pitchfork Media observes "weird, morning-after tales of lust, hurt, and over-indulgence" complemented by "lush, downcast music" on the album, and compares its "specific nocturnal quality" to that of The xx's 2009 self-titled debut. Pitchfork Media's Eric Grandy writes that the title track has The Weeknd "emoting in an androgynous falsetto one minute, muttering unbelievable curses the next". Paul Lewster of The Guardian views that, although more than half of the mixtape features samples, only the title track makes it "evident".