Abel Tesfaye AKA The Weeknd is VMAN's most recent cover star and he chatted about a new record, his politics, and more. "The Hills" singer mentioned a number of influences that pushed him on an unnamed new full-length.
“There are new inspirations on this album ... The production feels aggressive but still sexy. The Smiths, Bad Brains, Talking Heads, Prince, and DeBarge play roles. We wrote it all in Los Angeles. I think it’ll be the best-sounding album I’ve ever done."
Tesfaye also discussed his support of the Black Lives Matter movement. In May, he also cancelled a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live upon learning that Donald Trump would be a guest. He explained what was behind those decisions:
“I promised myself that I would never tweet or talk about politics and focus on the music, but I was just so bewildered that we lost more of our people to these senseless police shootings. It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that there are people who can’t or won’t see what Black Lives Matter is trying to accomplish. I wish I could make music about politics."
That desire to create music about his feelings towards what is happening politically never did manifest during the recording of his next record. It just was not who he is in the studio.
"When I step into the studio I step out of the real world, and it’s therapeutic. It’s an escape, but recently it’s been very hard to ignore, and it’s also been very distracting. Maybe you’ll hear it in my voice, but it is not my forté.”
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