The Weeknd explains why he doesn’t do hard drugs anymore
Singer also opens up about Grammy snub in new interview
Canadian singer The Weeknd is coming clean about given up negative habits and changing his lifestyle for the good.
The musician, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, opened up about being ‘sober lite’ and quitting drugs in an interview with GQ.
“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,” he said. “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 Weeknd, 31, admits that one of the drivers of this change is wanting to have a family at some point.
“I eventually want a family. I know I say I don’t, but I know I do. I want children,” he said in the interview.
The Weeknd is known for exploring dark concepts in his songs and music videos such as ‘Blinding Lights’. But art doesn’t always imitate life, as the musician says he’s not a dark person in real life.
“I am not dark. 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 said.
In November 2020, the ‘Starboy’ singer put the Grammys on blast after the Recording Academy left him out of the nominations despite him having a chart-topping album ‘After Hours’ and single ‘Blinding Lights’. “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency,” the three-time Grammy winner tweeted at the time.
He addressed the snub in his latest interview, saying that despite his anger he doesn’t want to think about the Academy and why they decided to leave him out.
“I was angry and I was confused and I was sad. But now, looking back at it, I never want to know what really happened,” he said. “I just don’t care. Because that will never be the reason why I do what I do.”