The changing faith of The Weeknd

Canadian chart topper The Weeknd appeared to abandon the Christian faith of his childhood. But could his plea for “mercy” on his most recent record mark a return to God?

The Weeknd is a megastar. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the artist otherwise known as Abel Tesfaye holds the record as the first artist in Spotify history to reach 100 million monthly listeners.

This makes him, statistically speaking, the most popular artist in the world. 

Faith background

Born in Toronto, Canada, as the only child of Ethiopian immigrants, he told Variety his upbringing was “very religious”.

His ties to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church were made evident when he donated $50,000 to St. Mary Cathedral in Toronto, in 2016 (reportedly the same church he attended as a child).

However, those ties to the church seemingly diminished as the years and his career progressed.

When asked if he still considered himself religious in the same Variety interview, his response was simply, “I dunno.”

Give me mercy

Fans have good reason to suspect The Weeknd maybe coming back to the faith of his childhood. His music often