The Weeknd burst onto the music scene in 2012 and rose to international fame with the release of his 2016 album, Starboy. Despite the singer’s popularity, The Weeknd was reticent for most of his career to sit down for interviews, leaving fans with little knowledge of his personal life, meaning many might be wondering if The Weeknd attended college.
The Weeknd did not attend college. In fact, the singer did not even graduate high school, dropping out at 17 in order to pursue his music career.
Read more about The Weeknd’s childhood, why he dropped out of high school and whether or not The Weeknd regrets not graduating or attending college.
Tuneful Tyke
The Weeknd was raised by his mom and grandmother in Toronto, Canada. His parents were Ethiopian immigrants, who had moved to Canada, but split shortly after their son was born.
Despite his father being absent from his life, The Weeknd’s childhood was surrounded by other family members, and the music from their native country, with The Weeknd crediting these moments as a major influence on the music he makes now. He became so immersed in music that he got in trouble at school, telling Variety, “I didn’t know that I had a gift with music, but I was always singing. I was actually getting in trouble because I would sing in class — my poor mother, it became a real problem.”
High School Hijinks
Despite his musical skills, The Weeknd initially considered going into filmmaking, but realized that music was therapy of sorts for him, noting that it helped save his life during the time that he was getting into more serious trouble in high school. At 17, The Weeknd dropped out of high school to pursue his music career full-time.
Convincing a friend to drop out with him, The Weeknd moved out of his mom’s house without warning, saying, “We grabbed our mattresses from our parents, threw it in our friend’s shitty van and left one weekend and never came back home.” Given the duo’s lack of a plan, The Weeknd spent the next five to six years being homeless, splitting his time living in a van or bouncing around and crashing on the couches of his friends.
You can watch a recap of the events leading up to The Weeknd dropping out of high school in the YouTube video below.
Dark Days and a Bright Future
It was also during this time that The Weeknd began heavily using drugs. In an interview with The Guardian, The Weeknd described the situation, saying, “When I had nothing to do but make music, it was very heavy. Drugs were a crutch for me. There were songs on my first record that were seven minutes long, rambling – whatever thoughts I was having when I was under the influence at the time. I can’t see myself doing that now.”
Despite the personal setbacks, The Weeknd released a mixtape, House of Balloons, for free online in 2011. The music caught the attention of fellow Canadian singer and rapper, Drake, who shared the mixtape with his followers.
The Weeknd began touring on the Toronto nightclub scene, and Drake came to see the singer during one of his shows. The two would go on to collaborate on multiple songs on Drake’s sophomore album, Take Care, which helped The Weeknd to score a record deal with Republic Records.
Since that time, The Weeknd’s career has not slowed down. He’s gone on to international fame, collaborating with multiple high-profile artists and winning multiple Grammy awards.
A Shy and Humble Superstar
Despite the success, The Weeknd has always shied away from interviews, and part of that shyness stems from the fact that he’s a high school dropout. In an interview with Rolling Stone, he told the publication, “Me not finishing school– in my head, I still have this insecurity when I’m talking to someone educated. I don’t want them looking at me like this f–king retard – no disrespect.”
Not only that, but the superstar singer considers himself boring, telling Complex magazine, “I felt like I had nothing to say. I still feel I have nothing to say. I’m the most boring person to talk to.” Despite the self-doubt, The Weeknd has achieved more success than most ever will, regardless of not completing his education. He also has the means and work ethic to get both a high school diploma and a college degree, should he ever choose to do so.