The Weeknd Net Worth

What is The Weeknd's Net Worth?

The Weeknd is a Canadian recording artist and record producer who has a net worth of $600 million. The Weeknd is one of the highest-paid entertainers in the world. In a given year when he is touring, The Weeknd can easily earn $90 million before taxes.

Emerging in 2010 with a series of mysterious songs uploaded to YouTube, he quickly drew attention for his dark, atmospheric sound that blended R&B, pop, and electronic influences. In 2011, he released the mixtapes "House of Balloons," "Thursday," and "Echoes of Silence," which established his signature moody style and earned critical acclaim. These early works helped redefine alternative R&B and attracted the attention of artists like Drake, who championed his music.

The Weeknd's mainstream breakthrough came with his 2015 album "Beauty Behind the Madness," which featured the massive hits "Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills," both of which topped the Billboard Hot 100. His follow-up, "Starboy" (2016), continued his evolution toward pop stardom, winning the Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album. Known for his haunting falsetto and cinematic production, he built a reputation as an artist who pushed the boundaries of R&B into new territory.

In 2020, his album "After Hours" solidified his superstar status. The single "Blinding Lights" became one of the most successful songs of all time, breaking records for Billboard chart longevity and amassing billions of streams. The Weeknd showcased his vision as a performer with a headlining set at the Super Bowl LV halftime show in 2021, where he delivered a theatrical, career-defining performance.

Alongside his music, The Weeknd has ventured into acting, fashion collaborations, and philanthropy, while continually reinventing his sound and image with each release. His ability to balance critical acclaim with mainstream dominance has made him a defining figure in 21st-century pop culture.

Real Estate

In December 2019, The Weeknd purchased a penthouse in Los Angeles overlooking the Beverly Hills Country Club for $21 million. The building's monthly HOA fee is $6,800. Before putting down roots in LA, he had been renting a triplex penthouse in New York City that cost $60,000 per month. He listed this penthouse for $22.5 million in January 2022. He sold it in August 2023 for $19 million.

The Weeknd previously owned a three-acre estate in Hidden Hills, California, which he bought for $18 million in June 2017. The home is more than 13,000 square feet with nine bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, and a 1,200-square-foot guest house. In June 2020, he listed this property for sale for $25 million. He sold the home in April 2021 to Madonna for $20 million. Madonna sold it in June 2023 for $23 million after listing it originally for $26 million. Here is a video tour of this home:

In August 2021, The Weeknd paid $70 million for a mansion in Los Angeles' Bel Air neighborhood. The 33,000-square-foot house, which sold in an off-market deal, sits on 1.6 acres overlooking the Bel-Air Country Club. The property features an indoor pool, sports court, movie theater, gym, music studio, and outdoor pool.

(Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Early Life

The Weeknd's real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, and he was born on February 16, 1990. He grew up in Toronto, Ontario, where he was raised primarily by his mother and grandmother after his parents separated. His parents had emigrated from Ethiopia in the late 1980s, and his heritage and cultural background had a strong influence on his upbringing. Tesfaye's father was absent throughout most of his childhood, and Abel has said they only saw each other a handful of times. Religion also played a role in his early years, as he regularly attended services at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church with his family.

Despite this structured environment, Tesfaye struggled as a teenager. He began smoking marijuana at age 11 and soon experimented with harder drugs, eventually developing a dependency that he later admitted pushed him to commit petty crimes to support his habit. School also proved difficult—though he attended high school, he dropped out before completing his final year. These early experiences of instability, addiction, and alienation would later become recurring themes in his music.

Early Career

Tesfaye has explained that his stage name, "The Weeknd," came from the moment he dropped out of school and left home "one weekend and never came back." In the years that followed, he gravitated toward music, experimenting with different sounds and identities while performing under names like "Kin Kane" and "The Noise."

In 2010, he crossed paths with producer Jeremy Rose, who was developing a style he described as "dark R&B." Rose and Tesfaye recorded a series of tracks together, which Tesfaye eventually uploaded to YouTube. The songs quickly spread online, gaining an underground following and catching the attention of fellow Toronto native Drake.

In 2011, The Weeknd released his first major mixtape, "House of Balloons." Featuring production from multiple collaborators (though not officially crediting Rose), the project became an underground sensation and earned widespread critical acclaim. Drake praised the work publicly and invited The Weeknd to perform at his OVO Festival. The two toured together soon after, with The Weeknd often opening Drake's shows. By the end of 2011, Tesfaye had also released the mixtapes "Thursday" and "Echoes of Silence," establishing himself as one of the most exciting new voices in contemporary music. His growing buzz sparked a bidding war among record labels eager to sign him.

(Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Breakthrough

In 2012, after touring across the U.S. and Europe, The Weeknd struck a deal with Republic Records to form his own imprint, XO. That same year, he released "Trilogy," a compilation of his three mixtapes with remastered production. For the first time, Jeremy Rose received credit for his contributions. "Trilogy" debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and cemented The Weeknd as a rising star.

His debut studio album, "Kiss Land," arrived in 2013 and featured contributions from Drake. It debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, proving his underground appeal could translate to mainstream commercial success. Over the next few years, he collaborated with major stars including Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, and Wiz Khalifa, while continuing to expand his fan base through extensive touring.

In 2015, he released "Beauty Behind the Madness," which became his commercial breakthrough. The album sold more than 400,000 units in its first week, topped the Billboard 200, and went on to sell more than 1.5 million copies worldwide. It featured the smash singles "Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills," and made The Weeknd the first male artist to hold the top three spots on the Billboard Hot R&B Chart at the same time.

The following year, he released "Starboy," with its title track produced in collaboration with Daft Punk. The album earned him a Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album and reinforced his transition from cult favorite to global pop star. He followed this success with the 2018 EP "My Dear Melancholy," which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and showcased a return to his darker, moodier sound.

In 2020, The Weeknd released "After Hours," one of the most successful albums of the decade. Anchored by the global hit "Blinding Lights," which spent more than 90 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the most-streamed song of all time on Spotify, the project solidified his place as one of the biggest artists in the world. His halftime performance at Super Bowl LV in 2021 further elevated his reputation as an innovative live performer.

Two years later, he released "Dawn FM" (2022), a concept-driven album with narration by Jim Carrey that blended pop, electronic, and retro sounds. Singles like "Take My Breath" and "Sacrifice" extended his dominance on streaming charts.

Since then, The Weeknd has broadened his artistic reach. In 2023, he co-created, starred in, and scored the HBO series "The Idol." He also announced that he intends to retire "The Weeknd" persona, signaling a creative rebirth under his real name, Abel Tesfaye. That same year, he became the first artist in history to surpass 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify, a Guinness World Record.

By 2024 and 2025, Tesfaye had shifted focus to new music under his own name, high-profile film and TV ventures, and a series of massive world tours. His career, marked by constant reinvention and record-breaking achievements, has made him one of the defining figures in 21st-century music.

Earnings

Between June 2017 and June 2018, he earned a staggering $90 million. Between June 2018 and June 2019, The Weeknd earned $40 million from his various endeavors.

Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Business Ventures

Outside of music, The Weeknd has built a wide-ranging portfolio of business ventures spanning fashion, tech, entertainment, and investment. Early in his career, he collaborated with condom and e-cigarette brands, and he later partnered with Marvel to co-create a limited comic series titled "The Weeknd Presents: Starboy," expanding his persona into the world of graphic novels. He has been one of the prominent faces of Apple Music and has served as a global brand ambassador for Puma, blending his cultural influence with major consumer brands.

Fashion has been a core part of his brand identity. Through his XO label, The Weeknd has launched exclusive streetwear and merchandise lines that consistently sell out, while also partnering with major designers and fashion houses. He has worked with Japanese streetwear brand A Bathing Ape and collaborated with Alexander Wang, cementing his place at the intersection of music and style. He also holds an ownership stake in OverActive Media Group, a Toronto-based esports and gaming organization.

In 2020, he joined forces with TD Bank to help launch Black HXOUSE, a creative incubator and mentorship program designed to support Black entrepreneurs and creators. A year later, he entered the digital art space by auctioning an unreleased track and visual artwork as NFTs through Nifty Gateway, and in October 2021, he was named to the board of directors of Autograph, Tom Brady's NFT platform.

The Weeknd has continued to expand his reach in the entertainment industry as well. In 2023, he co-created and starred in the HBO drama "The Idol," in which he also served as co-writer and executive producer, further diversifying his presence beyond music. His business moves reflect his larger ambition to operate not just as a performer, but as a cultural entrepreneur with influence across multiple industries.

Personal Life

Tesfaye tends to keep his personal life private, though his high-profile relationships have occasionally drawn public attention. He began dating model Bella Hadid in 2015; the pair had an on-again, off-again relationship, briefly splitting in 2016 before reconciling in 2018, and ultimately parting ways again in 2019. In 2017, he was involved with singer-actress Selena Gomez, a relationship that included living together but ended by the year's close. Since 2022, he has been linked to DJ Simi Khadra, with the two publicly appearing together on several occasions in 2023.

In April 2023, Abel disclosed in an interview that he lives with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). He has also been candid about mental health challenges—reflecting on a "mental breakdown" that led him to reconsider his public persona and creative identity. One pivotal incident came in 2022 during his After Hours Til Dawn tour: he abruptly ended a concert at SoFi Stadium due to voice loss he later attributed not to physical illness but to "self-imposed pressure" and mental strain.

Philanthropy

Tesfaye has increasingly leveraged his platform to support humanitarian causes. In April 2021, he donated $1 million to the United Nations World Food Programme for relief efforts in Ethiopia, where many of his family roots lie. The following year, he launched the XO Humanitarian Fund in partnership with the WFP—pledging $1 from every ticket sold on his After Hours Til Dawn Tour, on top of a personal $500,000 donation. In 2021, he was also appointed a World Food Programme goodwill ambassador, lending his voice and visibility to global food security initiatives.

Awards & Achievements

The Weeknd's trophy cabinet has expanded significantly since 2022. He has amassed 176 award wins from 517 nominations across major music platforms, ceremonies, and cultural recognitions. His accolades include:

• Multiple Grammy Awards (four wins from 14 nominations as of the 67th Annual Grammy Awards)
• Twenty-two Billboard Music Awards, twenty-two Juno Awards, and six American Music Awards
• Five Guinness World Records, including for "Blinding Lights" as the most-streamed track and being the first artist to surpass 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify
• Additional honors include the Allan Slaight Award from Canada's Walk of Fame (2014) and the 2025 Key to the City of Toronto

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