Regardless of what seems to be the type of supreme self-confidence that has taken him to the highest of the charts, in addition to the 2021 Tremendous Bowl halftime present and, quickly, his appearing debut within the HBO collection The Idol, The Weeknd (who now goes by his beginning identify, Abel Tesfaye), nonetheless assumes his subsequent challenge may very well be a complete failure.
“I assumed ‘Blinding Lights’ was gonna be a flop,” he instructed Self-importance Truthful in a brand new profile that chronicles each the stratospheric highs — resembling his the $69 million L.A. mansion he barely lived in — and his ever-present lows, like when he was positive the propulsive Max Martin/Oscar Holter single from his diamond-selling 2020 After Hours album would tank.
As a substitute, a mixture of the music’s grabby hook and a foolish TikTok dance problem pushed the music into Billboard chart historical past after it spent 4 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Sizzling 100 after which logged essentially the most weeks within the high 5 and high 10 on its strategy to being the charts No. 1 music of all-time.
At finest, Abel figured the music could be a great way for youthful followers to dive deeper into his turbulent earlier catalog. “It’s a brand new technology of angsty teenagers discovering all of the darkish music like once I was 14. Kurt Cobain, Wu-Tang, and all these songs that as a child I in all probability shouldn’t be listening to, and 50 Cent,” he mentioned. “This f–king darkish and wonderful escape.”
At the same time as The Weeknd’s songs have trafficked in infinite tales of an simply bruised coronary heart and what feels like a sure-footedness on stage and within the studio, the singer instructed the journal that on the subject of believing in his skills he realized an important lesson early on.
“I’ve at all times needed to guess on myself. Even earlier than I used to be The Weeknd, simply in life,” he mentioned. “As quickly as I received out of my mom’s womb, it’s been, ‘Wager on your self. It’s not gonna be simple, you realize?’ And I’m wonderful with that.” That mentioned, this new part of his profession, which he simply introduced will probably be performed below his beginning identify, is unquestionably “nerve-racking.”
And, regardless of his many successes, his agency spot within the pop universe as an immediately recognizable one-named celebrity and the Daybreak FM album’s narrative arc that bloodily despatched up the very notion of world superstardom, Tesfaye appears nonetheless not completely prepared to totally embrace his spot within the pop firmament. “I don’t blame folks,” he mentioned when discuss turned to comparisons to different icons. “As a result of if I used to be them, I’d be betting on Beyoncé too. I’m not gonna guess on me.”
Take a look at the VF cowl under.
