The Weeknd gets candid about quitting hard drugs; says he 'eventually wants a family'
Leaving his dark past behind, Abel Tesfaye a.k.a. The Weeknd talks about being his new lifestyle and his upcoming soundtrack.
The singer said he embraced a "sober lite" lifestyle, sharing that he’s cut back on drinking and drugs, except for weeds.
One factor that led him to make this decision, the singer confessed, is that he has a desire to settle down and have children someday.
"I’m not a heavy drinker, as much as I used to be. The romance of drinking isn’t there," he told GQ in an interview.
"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’ve spent the last few years realizing that and thanking God that I don’t need it. Because for a lot of people, it’s hard to shake it. But I knew I didn’t want it," the singer shared.
He also revealed that in the past, he has been deliberately making himself sad in order to create a more emotional and honest music.
“My art is dark, and I’ve gone through dark times. I’ve used those dark times as inspiration for my art. But I feel like because I’m not dark, I was able to channel it and put it into my music and into my art,” he shared.
Embracing a new persona and chapter of his life, the Starboy singer recently posted on his Instagram account a preview for his next soundtrack, which shows an infinite route of what appears to be a surface of the earth, traveling towards a bright red orange sun. The teaser hints an electro pop vibe, with his voice in the background, a genre which he is famously known for, R&B and Soul.
Talking more about the song, Tesfaye said during the interview: "It's the album I've always wanted to make. What makes any of my albums a successful album, especially this one, is me putting it out and getting excited to make the next one. So the excitement to make the next project means that this one was successful to me. I want to do this forever."
Despite After Hours being one of the most critically-acclaimed and commercially successful albums in 2020, the album received zero GRAMMY nominations. The performer admitted his metric of success has changed.
When confronted with the said issue, The Weeknd responded: “I guess I just wasn’t good enough.”
"When it happened, I had all these ideas and thoughts. I was angry and I was confused and I was sad," The Weeknd shared. "But now, looking back at it, I never want to know what really happened," he said.
While everyone urged him to "do better next time," the R&B singer stated that he has no interest in submitting any future soundtracks for Grammy consideration.
“I will do better, but not for you. I’m going to do better for me.” he said.
Given the fact that The Weeknd has created his own legacy, he believes that his name and story in the music industry is far from over.
Screenshots from YouTube
