The Weeknd is an unstoppable force at the moment. In stores today, The Weeknd has finally dropped his long-awaited album and fans of the Canadian singer couldn’t be happier. Spawning hits such as ‘Can’t Feel My Face’ and ‘The Hills’, announcing a brand new tour, and setting himself up for a monstrous debut on the Billboard charts next week, surely there’s no complaints from the hit-maker. Coinciding with his new album release, The Weeknd covers Billboard magazine. Covering various aspects from family, Michael Jackson influence, and his dark style, check out some excerpts from the cover story, below.
The team didn’t “get it” until a Weeknd show at the Hollywood Bowl, where it realized how diverse and hip Tesfaye’s audience was, with the likes of West and Rick Rubin hanging out backstage. “We were trying to bring him too much into our world,” says Kotecha. “We had to learn how to move into his — to be more dark and innovative, and to trust him.”
Today, says Tesfaye, “I still loosen up, but I have much more control. I can go overboard, but nobody can stop me but myself. Me and myself have a better relationship now than we did back then.” Another bond that has been strengthened is with his Ethiopian-Canadian single mother, from whom Tesfaye became estranged when he dropped out of high school to move downtown and make music. “I couldn’t face her until I made something out of myself,” he says. “I couldn’t go back home as a nobody.”
You can read the full cover story, here.
