Fame is the state of being known or talked about by many people, or in my definition, the contemporary embodiment to sell oneself as a product. Celebrities are people dressed in persona, but despite intense mental pressures fame can baggage, the colossal success of Abel Tesfaye's career has proven you can control a level of fame seen by the world and maintain a part of yourself that remains modest and humble.

Abel Tesfaye known professionally as The Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is 32 this year. The Toronto native has been in the spotlight for almost a decade with over a dozen hits on Billboard. Abel's also known for the secret meanings behind his hit songs like Can't Feel My Face, The Hills, and Blinding Lights. The R&B genre has been heavily influenced by his early music but given his MJ-esque sound, a first-time listen to Abel is barely incomparable.

Despite the similarities, the angelic voice of this Canadian Michael Jackson brought something new to the game no artist has heard of, making every rap fan's favorite R&B singer... but how?

Before we dive into the mind of Abel Tesfaye, we need to visit the important eras of his past. But given Abel doesn’t do many interviews, everything about his past I’ve had to dig up through articles and indirect sources.

Abel Tesfaye was raised in the suburbs of Scarborough, Toronto, where he’d learned his native language, Amharic, and was taken to Ethiopian church service. When Abel was young his father left him with his mother and grandmother to raise him. At the age of 11, he started smoking weed, building up his tolerance a young age.

During the early days of his teenage years, he retained most of his social experiences through television which dove him into a deep state of loneliness. He had little anger towards his father since he wasn’t remembered to be abusive, rather, not have feelings for him whatsoever. By 16 Abel vowed if he never made it big in the world he’d commit suicide.

At the ripe age of 17, Abel and his best friend, La Mar Taylor, decided to drop out of high school together, disappearing from his mom's life in a flash. In a 2016 article by Tom Lamont, Abel remembers his mother's reaction being “The worst look anyone could ever have. She looked at me like she failed. "The two best friends now living in Parkdale, Toronto, shared a one-bedroom apartment with little space for privacy. Among countless horrible decision-making, Abel experimented with cocaine, shrooms, and ketamine to name a few.

Using what little money he had, he fed his alcohol and drug addiction, surviving by shoplifting and stealing others' property. This would typically occur when they weren't partying or working 9 to 5 jobs. At one point Abel left Parkdale bouncing from girlfriend's house to girlfriend's house, ending up homeless for long periods of time.

Along the journey, Abel met a producer who was trying to make a name for himself. The one who will eventually kickstart Abel's vocal ability into the underground world is producer Jeremy Rose. Despite the substance abuse, Abel had an advantage given the pitch in his voice was higher than usual.

Abel was either continuing or had just started songwriting and by this point needed a stage name that would suit him perfectly. With everything that had happened between 2007 to 2010, Abel still hated seeing his mother's reaction the fateful weekend he left her. But with that weekend being the changing point and death of Abel Tesfaye, it was the beginning of the womanizing, partying, and drug-abusing lifestyle that led to the culmination he hailed...

The Weeknd.