Who Are The Weeknd's Parents? He Was Raised by His Mother and Grandmother

While one of The Weeknd's parents has been the source of inspiration for his music over the years, the Candian-born singer said he "never judged" the other who "just wasn't there."

When the Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, first appeared on the music scene, he had a mysterious energy. Fans were unsure of what he looked like for a while but knew his music was rapidly topping the charts.

The RnB singer has since revealed a lot about himself and his life in interviews and on social media, including his close relationship with his mother, Samrawit, and his father, Makkonen's absence in his life.

The Weekend's Mother and Grandmother Raised Him

The Weeknd's parents immigrated from Ethiopia in the late 1980s to Scarborough, a suburb in Toronto. Samrawit and her mother bore witness to the death of millions by the military in their home country, but the RnB singer said they never spoke much about it when he was growing up.

He heard a few tales from uncles, but his mother chose not to share the details, and the Weeknd suspected it was because she didn't want to portray her home country in a negative light.

Samrawit worked numerous jobs to support her family while putting herself through night school. Therefore, for the first five years of his life, The Weeknd's maternal grandmother lent a helping hand in raising him. He said:

"She was working three, four jobs. Single-mother jobs. The way you see in the movies."

His grandmother didn't speak English, which was how The Weeknd became fluent in his mother tongue, Amharic. He had memories of accompanying her to an Ethiopian church - which he said was similar to the Islamic faith in that there was a lot of bowing involved.

Samrawit is a very cultured woman, according to her son. Although he was raised in a country far from his origin, The Weeknd still grew up influenced by Ethiopian culture.

While his music is known for its RnB sound and he has worked with well-known American artists like Beyonce, the "I Can't Feel My Face" singer revealed that he drew great inspiration from Ethiopian singers such as Aster Aweke. He was also a big fan of Ethiopian food, despite it being fattening.

In his culture, having a chubby kid reflected well on his mother. But the singer joked that he was still working on shedding a few pounds as an adult from eating his traditional cuisine.

He's a "Mama's Boy" and Always Wanted a Brother

As it was just Samrawit and her son for most of his life, they formed a close bond, and he was a self-proclaimed "mama's boy." In a chain of messages on Reddit, he shared that his mother, and his friends, were the reason he kept producing music.

After an incident in high school he was reluctant to talk about; The Weeknd had to switch schools. Six months later, he dropped out of high school entirely. Instead, he and a close friend decided to chase their dreams and pursue a music career. Samrawit disapproved. "She looked at me like she had failed," he said.

Making his mother proud motivated him, and it paid off, as he bought her a new home and a car in Canada from his success. Although he humorously said she would have preferred if he had gotten a high school diploma instead.

Although Samrawit was a great mom in her son's eyes, having no other boys in the home left The Weeknd longing for a brother. He said:

"I always wanted a brother so I'd have somebody to play with. I remember lying to people that I had brothers – that's how much I wanted one."

Samrawit Hailu Sent Him a Sweet Text on His 32nd Birthday

While he never received the brother he spent his childhood wishing for, he did show his appreciation for his mother on Twitter by sharing the message she had sent him on his birthday.

The singer tweeted a screenshot of Samrawit's sweet text, and the tweet received over fifteen thousand retweets. "You are our hero," it read, and his mother ended the message with three red hearts.

He Only Saw His Father a Couple of Times

From a young age, The Weeknd's father was not in the picture. During an interview with Rolling Stone, the Canadian-born singer said he remembered seeing his father when he was six.

They met again years later when he was around eleven years old, although their interactions did not last for longer than a night. The Weeknd did not judge his father for not being present in his life and said he was sure Makkonen was "a great guy" who "just wasn't there."