It’s rare that we see or read an interview with The Weeknd. But the folks over at Pitchfork managed to get a sit-down with the portentous singer. In the conversation Abel spoke on working with Kanye West; his love for villains; when he first began to start taking his craft seriously; his Ethiopian roots; Prince and Lana Del Rey; his charting songs; and much more.
On doing an album without lyrics:
“There are songs like “Gone” where I don’t even know what I’m saying—I let my voice do all the talking. I’ll probably do an album like that one day where it’s not lyrics at all, just melodies and great production. Maybe the next one, I don’t know.”
On working with Kanye:
“He used “Devil in a New Dress” a lot as a reference for that song. Everyone’s a character on my album, and his production, voice, and input is a character, too. There’s so much detail in his sessions, and he definitely helped craft who I’ve been, subconsciously, for the past few years. To actually be with him and talk to him and work with him, it’s just like coming to life. He had to make the same decisions I did: College Dropout, Late Registration, and then the shift into Graduation, and another shift into 808s & Heartbreak, which got mixed reviews but is one of the most important bodies of work of my generation. Kanye needed to be on this album, because I feel like I’m going through what he’s been going through—reinventing himself and pushing the boundaries. And he looks at himself as pop. He says, “I’m a pop artist. You can’t put me in one category.”
On Michael Jackson’s influence:
“I can never be Michael Jackson or do what he did, but he is definitely a good inspiration: I want to give the kids that feeling.”
On loving the villains:
“The Joker is my favorite villain of all time: You don’t know his past, you just know what his plans are. The Joker that Christopher Nolan created in The Dark Knight had the scar across his mouth, and the first time you heard his explanation for it, he makes you believe that’s how he got it. But then you get into the film, and every time he talks about his scar, it’s a totally different story. That tells you what kind of person he is; he’s not telling you who he is. It’s kind of how I am—or how I was: You know me, but you don’t know me. I give you what I want to give you. I relate to villains like that—but I’m not out to destroy the world.”
in case you missed it; check out The Weeknd’s performance during the 2015 VMAs.
