The Weeknd "Kiss Land" 2xLP XO/Republic Records (US/EU)

Vinyl is NM, Jacket is VG+

Out of Print!

Track Listing:

A1Professional6:08A2The Town5:07B1Adaptation4:43B2Love In The Sky4:28B3Belong To The World5:07C1Live For Featuring –  3:44C2Wanderlust5:05C3Kiss Land7:35D1Pretty6:21D2Tears In The Rain7:24

Abel Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known by his  The Weeknd, is a   , recording artist, and . In late 2010, Tesfaye anonymously uploaded several songs to under the name "The Weeknd". He released three nine-track mixtapes throughout 2011: ,, and , which were critically acclaimed. The following year, he released a compilation album, , consisting of remastered versions of the mixtape material and three additional songs. It was released under  and his own label XO. In 2013, he released his debut studio album , which was supported by the singles "", and "".

The Weeknd has received praise from several music publications, including , , , , and . 's  has dubbed him the "songbird of his generation" and the "best musical talent since ".

The Weeknd was born Abel Tesfaye on February 16, 1990 in . He is of descent. He grew up listening to a variety of music genres, including , , , , , and. Since Tesfaye's father was never around when he was growing up, and his mother was constantly working, his grandmother took care of him most of his young life. Because of this, Abel speaks fluent ; it was the first language he learned.

Tesfaye says he adopted the stage name, "The Weeknd," after dropping out of high school at the age of 17 and, along with a fellow crew-member, "left one weekend and never came home." The spelling was modified to avoid copyright issues with a Canadian band already named "".

Career 2010–11: Career beginnings and mixtapes

In Toronto, Tesfaye met producer Jeremy Rose, who had an idea for a dark  musical project called "The Weekend". After trying to pitch the idea to musician, Rose played one of his instrumentals for Tesfaye, who  over it, and they began working on an album. He produced three songs—"What You Need", "Loft Music", and "The Morning"—and others that Tesfaye rapped on, which Rose ultimately scrapped. Rose let Tesfaye keep the tracks he had produced under the condition that he would ultimately be credited for them. However, in December 2010, Tesfaye uploaded "What You Need", "Loft Music", and "The Morning" to  under the name "The Weeknd", though his identity was initially unknown. The songs drew attention online through , including a blog featuring the songs posted by Toronto-based rapper , who also helped generate interest in the Weeknd. They subsequently received coverage from outlets such as  and .

On March 21, 2011, Tesfaye released the nine-track mixtape  for free through his website It featured production by  and , although it did not credit Rose for his tracks. House of Balloons was met with critical acclaim, and was named as one of ten shortlisted nominees for the .

In July, the Weeknd embarked on a tour and delivered his first performance at the Mod Club in Toronto. The hour-and-a-half long performance created buzz about him. His next performance took place at Toronto’s Molson Canadian Amphitheatre. He collaborated with rapper Drake and appeared as one of the special guests to Drake’s 2nd Annual OVO Fest on July 31, 2011. During the summer, the press noted that the Weeknd refused to participate in interviews and chose to only communicate via Twitter. His second mixtape  was released on August 18, 2011, as a free digital download from the Weeknd's website, and was well received by critics. The Weeknd's third mixtape, titled , was released on December 21, 2011. Upon this release, the three 2011 mixtapes were collectively known as the Balloons Trilogy, each receiving critical acclaim and growing Tesfaye's fanbase.

2012–present: Touring and major label releases

In April 2012, the Weeknd began his US tour by performing at the . He and his band visited various major cities, and culminated in New York, where two sold-out shows were positively reviewed by Rolling Stone Tesfaye and his tour band continued in major European festivals, including the in  and ,  in London, plus concerts in Paris and Brussels. At his debut UK show in London, he covered 's "" in front of an audience which included  and . In June, it was reported that the Balloons Trilogyhad been downloaded 8 million times and that it would be formally released later in the year.

The Weeknd performing at Massey Hall October 17, 2013.

In September 2012, The Weeknd signed with  in a joint venture with his own  XO. The compilation album  was released in November, consisting of remastered versions of the mixtapes and three additional songs. It also officially credited Rose as a producer and writer on three songs fromHouse of Balloons. Trilogy charted at No. 5 on the , and No. 4 on the US  with first-week sales of 86,000 copies. Shortly after in December, the  announced that the Weeknd had been nominated for the  poll. In May 2013, Trilogy was certified  by the  and double platinum by .

On May 16, 2013, The Weeknd premiered the  to his debut studio album , which he said will be released on September 10. It was also promoted by the singles "", "" featuring Drake and The Weeknd's The Fall tour beginning in September. Kiss Land received generally positive reviews from music critics. Kiss Land debuted at number two on the US , selling 96,000 copies, just two thousand copies short of 's , which took the number one spot that week.

The Weeknd also appeared on the  to , contributing "Devil May Cry" and featuring on "", the second single from the soundtrack. In February 2014 The Weeknd remixed the Beyonce single "Drunk In Love." The remix was more of a cover, as The Weeknd tweaked the beat to fit better with his version of the song, that is told through the male perspective. On June 26, 2014, The Weeknd announced he will be headlining the 'King of the Fall' tour, essentially a mini-tour across America in September and October 2014.  and  were confirmed as support acts. The announcement came the day after The Weeknd released his new song, "Often", on , leading to speculation that the tour will unveil more new material from him. On July 20, The Weeknd released another track titled "King Of The Fall" to promote his upcoming tour, which started in September. On September 30, 2014, the song "" was released which is a duet between The Weeknd and , the song went on to peak at number seven on the chart. In December 23, he released "", the song was released as a single from the 2015 film .

Artistry

The Weeknd's songs are "built around a fogged,  production", and feature slow , rumbling bass, and forlorn echoes. The Weeknd sings in a  register, and exhibits a pleading, anxious tone.  finds his singing's " quality" similar to , but writes that he eschews Jackson's "strong basis in the " for a more -influenced . His music incorporates  that are unconventional in R&B production, including  and . Marc Hogan of  says that The Weeknd's samples tend "to draw from -approved sources, though generally ones that already share elements of his sexual menace", with samples of artists such as , , and . The Weeknd worked mostly with producers  and , whom 's Ian Cohen credits with developing "a state-of-the-art  template" with the Weeknd.In concert, the Weeknd reappropriates their digitized productions with a -like  aesthetic.

His emotional, plaintive lyrics often express feelings of hurt and deal with subject matter such as sex, drugs, and partying. Hermoine Hoby of characterizes the Weeknd's songs as "narcotised-" and delineates their message as "partying is an existential experience, sex is fraught with alienation, and everything registers as unreal and unsettling." The Guardian '​s Paul MacInnes interprets the Weeknd's trilogy of mixtapes as "a rough trajectory of party, after-party and ". Anupa Mistry of the  observes throughout his mixtapes a "cast of supine, stoned zombie-women ... whose legs willingly part after being plied with substances and who morph into threats only when [he is]  and feeling vulnerable." The Weeknd viewed that, by singing vulgar, ignorant lyrics in an elegant, sexy way, he is paying homage to  and to some degree .

Music journalists associate the Weeknd with , an emerging wave of recording artists whose music expands on the sound and sensibility of R&B. Mistry writes that he "will be obsequiously praised as the future of R&B music – because [he] is a black singer, not because he’s making quantifiable, canonical R&B". 's Andy Kellman categorizes him as an "alternative R&B act". Prior to his major label deal, the Weeknd withheld his identity and maintained an enigmatic, shadowy persona while releasing his mixtapes online. On social media outlets such as , he suffixed his name with "xo". According to Hoby, it is meant as an emoticon for "", while 's Zara Golden said that it is instead a reference to his recreational use of  and .

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