I am not dark. What was the original reason for your anonymity? With House of Balloons, nobody knew what I looked like.
When did you first hear your voice and know that it was special? I used to get penalized for singing when I was younger, because I always wanted to sing. I just always wanted to sing. I would sing in class. I would sing at the dinner table. And I would get in trouble for it because it was inappropriate at the time.
Did you try to go on Canadian Idol? It was the first song that came out from The Weeknd. Nobody knew what I looked like. I was not popping. I was struggling at the time. A good friend of mine hooked me up with a job at American Apparel, and I was folding clothes there when somebody at the store played the song. Mind you, nobody knew who The Weeknd was. Did you freak out? Well, no.
I started listening, seeing what people thought of it. So where does the name The Weeknd come from? I was still Abel. So I called myself The Weeknd. Do you still like the name The Weeknd as much as you did then? As much as I did then? No, not as much as I did then. I like that I have that as an option to escape Abel a little bit. I definitely loved it more back then than I do now. I love my name now, though: Abel.
Would you ever make music as Abel? I feel like I already do. They just call me Abel. In most of your videos, The Weeknd is murdered, beaten up, et cetera. What is your fascination with killing The Weeknd? He keeps coming out. I do feel guilty. For sure. I just try not to bring attention to myself. And I just love being in normal situations, man. To be able to just like go on a walk and not being in a fucking SUV.
I like sober lite. Do you drink? Other drugs? Drugs were a crutch. It was me thinking that I needed it. And not doing the work to figure out how not to need it. And I eventually want a family. I want children. Is it a defense mechanism or something? I guess I say it because I like the trajectory of my career. But also I feel like having children would influence me and inspire me more. You know? Do you ever think about having to explain some of your more sexual lyrics to your future kids?
The one and only moment when The Weeknd appeared in the studio was right before Abel played me a few new songs off his upcoming album. Concern is Abel stuff. It had a certain arrogance someone could only conjure with percent certainty that I was indeed not ready. And he was right. The music hit the studio like a Mack truck. The new project is packed with party records. Like real-deal, illuminated-white-tiles-on-the-floor party records.
Quincy Jones meets Giorgio Moroder meets the best-night-of-your-fucking-life party records. Not anachronistic disco stuff. That sort of retro thing is having a moment right now in pop music, but these records are new. That statement would linger in my brain for days. As did the music. It became nearly impossible to find something else to listen to.
Everything else sounded soft. Or felt too happy. Or too sad. Why did Kiss Land fall short? Was it the label people pushing and pulling you in different directions or what? Oh, no. The exact opposite. As a debut record, there was an expectation for it. I guess, for me, it was the fourth album. I feel like I said everything I needed to say on Trilogy —and that sound and whatever I wanted to put out into the universe.
It created a genre, and I made 30 of those fucking songs. I think by the time I got to Kiss Land, I was definitely emotionally tapped out. I did three albums in one year—plus I was working on Take Care too. And that was all in Then I went on tour. Kiss Land was a very tour-driven album. You did Coachella when you were around 21, right?
The second time I ever got on a plane was the Coachella performance. I went on one plane trip before that—to Costa Rica as a vacation. And then on top of that, I wanted to continue making music.
And me not fully transitioning into full-on pop star yet, I was kind of in a middle ground. And I feel like Kiss Land was that. It was a very honest album. It was a lot of me being stubborn, of not letting a lot of input in. What did you learn from it? That song that you just heard? I was the most naked. Most vulnerable. And it is what it is.
Were you disappointed in the response and reviews? Oh, yeah. I think people were confused. I think people were just confused. As much as I was confused. And I kind of like that. Did it discourage you at all?
No, no. If anything, it encouraged me. I read every single review. I read every comment. And I like reviews, man. I like critics. Even the biased ones that are against me, I like reading it. Like I can see through the lines now. Between the lines. So why read them? It feels like most people in your position never read the comments and reviews. Could you have made a fourth mixtape in the same vibe as the trilogy? I was tapped out, man. Like, Kiss Land felt way more authentic.
At least Kiss Land was a genuine thing. It might not have been what people expected. It might not have been great at the time. But that was who I was. Six songs. Because I got nothing else to say. I used it as therapy. I made it in like three weeks. I knew exactly what I wanted to say. I knew how I wanted it to sound—and that was it. When does the therapeutic healing begin—when you make the song or when people hear it?
I think when other people hear it. Though it's hard to believe given how beloved The Weeknd's After Hours remains on the critical front , Kiss Land was not received so warmly upon its release. Weeknd actually opened up about the project's creation, release, and reception upon being asked why Kiss Land ultimately "fell short. I guess, for me, it was the fourth album.
I feel like I said everything I needed to say on Trilogy —and that sound and whatever I wanted to put out into the universe. It created a genre, and I made 30 of those fucking songs. I think by the time I got to Kiss Land , I was definitely emotionally tapped out. I did three albums in one year—plus I was working on Take Care too. It was a very honest album. It was a lot of me being stubborn, of not letting a lot of input in.
I was the most naked. Most vulnerable. And it is what it is. Though he was initially disappointed in some of the reviews, The Weeknd ultimately found beauty in the madness.
I think people were just confused.
0コメント