Abel Tesfaye, better known by his stage name The Weeknd, is an R&B Canadian recording artist and record producer from Toronto. He began recording songs under The Weeknd and uploading them to YouTube in late 2010. In March 2011, The Weeknd released a nine-song free album, House of Balloons, which was critically acclaimed. The title track is based on a sample of Siouxsie and the Banshees' hit single "Happy House." The first album is a part of a trilogy, which includes Thursday released in August of the same year and Echoes of Silence issued in December. The Weeknd released Beauty Behind the Madness in 2015. The Weeknd continues to record and tour the world.