From YouTube to Universal Star (Updated January 24, 2013)

Count Abel Tesfaye among the growing number of recording artists who found fame via the Internet. In late 2010, he uploaded several songs to YouTube under the name "the Weeknd," with his true identity still unknown. Needless to say, it didn't stay that way for long.

OK, so the three-songs-to-fame didn't exactly happen that way. But after Tesfaye put "what You Need," "Loft Music," and "The Morning" out on the video sharing site, it took just a little help from fellow Toronto-based artist Drake to generate some true buzz. After Drake quoted a line from a song by "The Weeknd" on his Twitter account, including a link to the Weeknd's music on his website, things really took off.

With the nine-track mixtape "House of Balloons" to his credit, The Weeknd found himself nominated for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize, givin to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit. Though he lost out to Arcade Fire, The Weeknd was showered with critical praise and embarked on a tour and later collaborated with Drake at the 2nd Annual OVO Fest in Toronto. Pumping out two more mixtapes also helped his ever-growing fanbase.

The Weeknd began a US tour in 2012 by performing at the Coachella Festival. He wound through major cities afterward, culminating in two sold-out shows in New York. From there he played in Europe, where he covered Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana." His compilation album "Trilogy" was also released in November, consisting of remastered version of his mixtapes, along with three additional songs.

On tap for 2013 is a brand new album from The Weeknd. He'll also play concerts in Glasglow, Manchester, Birmingham and London in March.