I don't believe in icons.
— The Weeknd
Thanks to my fans that have been with me from the beginning, I was able to sell out arenas on my own.
The game is changing with songs like 'Earned It' as opposed to it changing me.
When I write, I write about my surroundings. Sometimes it's light, and sometimes it gets very dark.
I get naturally uncomfortable when I'm put under a magnifying glass.
I feel like everything we do comes down to how it looks. Even no branding is branding. For example, you had no face or image to put to my music at first. That was branding.
The Joker is my favorite villain of all time: You don't know his past; you just know what his plans are.
Taylor Swift's audience can listen to me, but so can the street kids. I want to touch it all.
The last thing you want is to not be recognized for all of the hard work you put in.
I want to produce the music to a movie that I'm working on, like what Prince did with 'Purple Rain.'
The effect of music on fashion has been immense, especially hip-hop and urban music.
Nothing is stopping me from doing what I love to do.
I just want to keep pushing the envelope without it feeling forced.
From when I was born to when I was 21, I never left Toronto. That's why I'm such a city cat.
'House of Balloons' was actually supposed to have more songs than it does.
I'm trying to get to Mars before everyone else.
My closet is like Bart Simpson's.
To be recognized for the hard work my team and I put into 'Starboy' is an honor.
I want to make pop cool again, and the only way I can do that is by being ambitious and grand.
Let's be honest. Canada wasn't ever cool.
All of my music is honest.
A chorus is not easy.
For an Ethiopian mother, if you have a chubby kid, it means you're doing something good.
I have a good team. It's good to have a good team.
At one point, I didn't care. Now I want as many people to hear my music as possible.
People always say when they meet me that I'm not what they expect. I assume they think I'm this super dark and depressing guy, but I like to channel all of those emotions into my work.
All I do is make music.
For me, bomber jackets are smart, but they are also street and have a lot of attitude.
My purpose is to make exciting music, and I feel like I'll be doing that for the rest of my life, so there's no pressure.
When you come to my show, I want it to feel like opera, like a theatre.
I'm all about evolution. I'm the first person to judge myself.
If you ever see young artists, and they're not sounding good, they sound good. They're good singers. They wouldn't be where they are if they didn't sound good. It's their nerves. Any time you see your favorite artist, and he's or she's screwing up or not hitting those notes, it's not because she can't hit it or she can't sing; he or she is scared.
Going home helps the content.
My mother, my grandmother, my uncles would play Ethiopian artists like Aster Aweke and Mulatu Astatke all the time in the house.
Literally wrote 'Starboy' in 30 minutes.
Alternative R&B is in my soul. It's not going anywhere.
OVOXO will always be there.
I love trying new things.
I spend just as much time on how people hear my music as I do the actual music, no matter how long it takes. I'm such a visual artist as well that it always goes hand-in-hand.
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.
I feel like I'm changing pop culture.
'Kiss Land' wasn't about what people wanted to hear on the radio. It was the state of mind I was in - introverted, like David Cronenberg's 'Naked Lunch.' You didn't know if you were hearing a chorus or a verse. It was just my thoughts.
I'm pretty laid-back in real life. I just love hanging with my friends and making jokes. The jokes don't stop - literally, all day.
I'm a studio rat.
For my generation, the bomber jacket is like a replacement for the suit jacket. It's a piece that men wear every day, and it's something that I would wear for any occasion, whether it's on the street or going to an awards ceremony.
Even though I've been putting out bodies of work for years, 'Beauty Behind the Madness' felt like the beginning.
I've grown accustomed to hotels and drastic climate change.
My production and songwriting and the environment around those vocals are not inspired by R&B at all.
You aren't normal if you sing to people. You aren't a normal person. It's nerve-racking.
When I was born, that was the music my mother was listening to. Michael Jackson is a third parent to me.
