Drake helps turn a mysterious 20-year-old Toronto singer into the next big thing

With a little help from a famous friend, a Toronto musician has managed to do something considered impossible in the age of social media: gain widespread acclaim without anyone knowing his name.

Back in January, no Canadian journalist could uncover the origins of the Weeknd, even though three songs credited to that handle gained a rave in The New York Times.

"The vocals, sometimes sung and sometimes rapped, talk about ugly things in a pretty voice," enthused critic Jon Caramaniaca, "making for a tone of flashy bohemianism."

Yet there was no indication of how the music, let alone its geographical origin, was discovered in the first place.

A recently famous rapper, it turned out, had pulled some strings.

Drake posted YouTube clips of three Weeknd tunes to his blog last December, and mentioned an affiliation with his producer Noah "40" Shebib, which apparently inspired enough influential people to listen.

The Weeknd released a free download of a nine-track album, "House of Balloons," in late March. And the accolades started to flow in. Suddenly, trend pieces started being written about this new breed of hipster R&B.

Gradually, the vocalist was revealed to be a 20-year-old Torontonian named Abel Tesfaye. This week, a photo of him finally appeared online.

The unveiling of the Weeknd has arguably been as contrived as any viral marketing campaign. Similar efforts have tended not to go over very well with critics once the truth gets out.

But perhaps in response to overwhelming hype for his own career, Drake was eager to participate in a cryptic exercise, in which a star could be born outside of the limelight.

Tesfaye will have to appear in public on behalf of the Weeknd soon enough, however. Drake will expose the act at his second annual OVO Festival in Toronto on July 31.

(CP Photo)