The Weeknd is opening up about his music.
The 30-year-old After Hours singer is on the cover of Variety‘s latest issue, out now.
PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of The Weeknd
During the conversation, he opened up about working with iconic pop producer Max Martin, and how Ariana Grande was the one who helped him get his foot in the door with the legendary producer after teaming up for “Love Me Harder” in 2014.
“Ariana [Grande] was kinda my foot in the door with Max [Martin], my chance to show him ‘I can play this game,’ y’know? But when we got in the room together, we didn’t really connect as much. Then someone invited him to a show I did at the Hollywood Bowl, and he saw 15,000 people singing along, and I think he was like, ‘OK, there’s something I’m not getting.’ So we sat down again, and the first song we created was ‘In the Night,’” he explained.
He also said the song “Faith” from his new album is about the darkest moment of his life, which was around the time of recording that Ariana song.
“So, [the song 'Faith'] is about the darkest time of my entire life, around 2013, 2014…I was getting really, really tossed up and going through a lot of personal stuff. I got arrested in Vegas [for punching a police officer; he later pleaded no contest]. It was a real rock-star era, which I’m not really proud of. You hear sirens at the end the song — that’s me in the back of the cop car, that moment. I always wanted to make that song but I never did, and this album felt like the perfect time, because [the character] is looking for an escape after a heartbreak or whatever. I wanted to be that guy again — the ‘Heartless’ guy who hates God and is losing his f–king religion and hating what he looks like in the mirror so he keeps getting high. That’s who this song is.”
If you haven’t yet, listen to The Weeknd‘s new album, After Hours.
For more from The Weeknd, head to Variety.com.
via Source
