Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, popularly known as The Weeknd (born February 16, 1990 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada), is a Canadian R&B/hip-hop musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He chose his stage name in tribute to when he was 17 years old, when, along with his friend La Mar Taylor, he dropped out of high school, took his mattress, and "left one weekend and never came home". However, his estranged former producer Jeremy Rose claims the name was his idea.
“Starboy” is The Weeknd’s realization of his mega-stardom. Transforming from mysterious Canadian act to Billboard mainstay. Abel has come a long way, but with negative consequences in his journey to the top, he has developed mixed feelings towards fame.
“Starboy” potentially marks a new era for The Weeknd. On the release date of the song, Abel posted an Instagram picture with the caption “r.i.p ‘@abelxo,’” marking the turn of his character and sound.
The song features production from French electronic duo Daft Punk, marking the first collaboration between The Weeknd and Daft Punk, and the latter’s first single since “Give Life Back To Music” was released in early-2014. A month before release Abel and Daft Punk had spent time together in the studio, and it was obviously so fruitful he decided to make one of their collaborations the album’s lead single.
“Starboy” is the title track and lead single from The Weeknd’s third studio album, released on November 25th, 2016.
