With the first quarter of the 21st century coming to a close, Billboard has been counting down picks for the 25 greatest pop stars of the last 25 years. Today, the No. 18 pick was unveiled, and it's a Canadian artist: The Weeknd.
An accompanying essay charts the unlikely rise of the Scarborough artist born Abel Tesfaye from shadowy and anonymous cult figure in the early 2010s, to well-known Drake collaborator, to one of the biggest pop stars of the current streaming era, breaking records as he goes.
"About a dozen years ago, nobody would’ve believed the hedonistic, alt-R&B, then-cult figure known as The Weeknd would become one of the 21st century’s most decorated and durable pop artists, dominating both the Billboard charts and the world’s biggest stadiums. Global superstardom might not have seemed immediately on the horizon upon his 2011 mixtape arrival, but his ability to carve his own path in R&B before successfully switching lanes to pop has made his journey one of the most fascinating ones to follow this century."
The Weeknd's legendary live debut came at Toronto's 600-capacity Mod Club in July 2011, and despite a "no guestlist" policy, the crowd was filled with both superfans and major label executives from Canada and the U.S. One former MuchMusic employee tells Billboard they were offered $1300 for their $20 ticket.
The WeekndKevin Winter/Getty Images
The WeekndChelsea Lauren/WireImage
By 2024, The Weeknd would chart seven No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, 18 in the top 10, and have four No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200.
That's not to mention the multiple accolades on the Canadian Hot 100, where he's had 24 top 10 hits, and on the Canadian Albums chart where he's had six No. 1s.
It's a major career arc, and one that might be closing a big chapter soon. Recently, Tesfaye hinted that his upcoming third and final installment of his After Hours/Dawn FM trilogy, Hurry Up Tomorrow, may be his last as The Weeknd. Even if it is, that's likely far from the last we've heard from Tesfaye, who is undoubtedly one of the biggest artists of his generation.
Read the full essay on The Weeknd in Billboard's 25 Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century series here.
