The Weeknd has been stepping out of his stage persona to introduce fans to the man behind the alter ego, Abel Tesfaye.
Speaking with Interview magazine, the “I Can’t Feel My Face” singer opens up about the “calculated” approach he took when creating The Weeknd as he strove for stardom.
“I wanted to be very calculated about how I wanted people to see me or hear my music,” he explained. “The initial reason I did that was I didn’t think I was marketable when I was younger, especially for R&B. I didn’t think I had the right look.”
When his interviewer pointed out that he’s “a very attractive man,” he responded with a laugh, “Oh, thank you. I think I’ve worked on it more now.”
According to The Weeknd, he felt both the look and persona he created were integral in breaking through when he was starting out.
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“The R&B look was very sexual back in the day. Obviously there were a lot of singers that didn’t have the conventional R&B look, but for me it was more of a personal thing,” he said. “I liked getting an unbiased reaction from my music. People got to just judge me for the art, for the music I was putting out. So it worked in my favour, and then it became a gimmick. No one else was doing it at the time, so it was a breath of fresh air. And then the mythology and the mystique of it ended up becoming as interesting as the music. I tried to ride that wave as much as I could. In the internet age it’s impossible, but I got a few years in.”
