The Weeknd — whose real name is Abel Tesfaye — experienced his share of hardships growing up. He was raised by a single mom in a suburb of Toronto, according to The Guardian. He had a tight bond with his mother, who took on multiple jobs to care for him. However, during his teenage years, his lifestyle took a major dip. When The Weeknd was 17, he and his best friend La Mar Taylor convinced each other to drop out of school. They then rented an apartment and spent their little amount of money on alcohol and various drugs including ketamine, cocaine, and MDMA. The Weeknd reflected on these tough experiences, saying, "I could have ruined my whole life by dropping out of school. The consequences might have been horrible." He noted that he was in a "dark hole" at the time and didn't feel like himself when abstaining from drugs.

As noted by The New York Times, The Weeknd and Taylor would steal from their local supermarket. When the singer got evicted from his apartment, he would tell girls that he was romantically interested in them so they would provide him a place to stay. "There was, like, three girls that thought legit that I was their boyfriend,” he revealed. He eventually secured a job at American Apparel. At that point, he began writing and recording music.

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