Abel Makkonen Tesfaye – better known to you and me as The Weeknd – has been Toronto’s best-kept secret for far too long.
And recognition, now arrived, has come in the form of the industry’s most prestigious awards: The Grammys.
He may have been born and raised in the 6ix, but The Weeknd decided to go one better than that, landing seven nominations for the music accolade.
Tied for second place with Taylor Swift, the Scarborough singer was behind only Lamar Kendrick, who racked up an impressive 11 nominations.
The Weeknd received nominations across the board, including record of the year for ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ and album of the year for ‘Beauty Behind The Madness’. He was also nominated for three of the awards for ‘Earned It’, a song which featured on the soundtrack for the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack.
The nod backs up a strong year which saw The Weeknd simultaneously hold the top three spots the BillBoard Hot R n B Songs chart – something no artist in history has ever achieved.
And with GTA artists crushing it on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this year, it’s no surprise that the Grammys haven’t been shy when it comes to recognizing Canadians.
Toronto’s best rep for the city, Drake, was also honoured, with a nomination for his album ‘If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late’ (Best Rap album). Plus, bad-boy-gone-good Justin Bieber was nominated in the category of Best Dance Recording for his collaboration with Skrillex And Diplo, ‘Where Are Ü Now’.
Let’s hope The Weeknd can feel his face in time for all those acceptance speeches.
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