The Weeknd speaks ahead of Birmingham gig

Abel Tesfaye, AKA The Weeknd, will headline Birmingham’s Barclaycard Arena on Monday as part of a huge European tour.

He’s become a household name in record time – having anonymously uploaded songs to YouTube as recently as 2010 and released a debut album back in 2013.

The Ethiopian-Canadian became one of the world’s biggest stars when his album, the 3.6 million-selling Beauty Behind The Madness, went to number one on the US Billboard chart and produced the singles Earned It, The Hills and Can’t Feel My Face.

He followed that with Starboy, his third album, which also went to number one around the world. The star has been likened to the late Prince, who presented him with an American Music Award in 2015. And there are many similarities.

The Weeknd stays in the shadows, keeping away from the limelight and turning up at studios trenchcoated and dreadlocked. He’s as prolific as Prince once was, initially releasing astounding mix tapes before cutting his own solo music. And his lyrics are reminiscent of those written by the genius from Paisley Park. Like Prince, he also has a liberal approach to drugs: “(I) dibbles and dabbles and whatnot. When I had nothing to do but make music, it was very heavy. Drugs were a crutch for me. There were songs on my first record that were seven minutes long, rambling – whatever thoughts I was having when I was under the influence at the time. I can’t see myself doing that now.”

The Weeknd has grown up, however, now that he’s three albums into his career.

“The mind of a 19-year-old is very different from the mind of a 26-year-old. You grow. You get into better relationships. You experience more, meet more people, better people. But when you’re in a dark hole, at an earlier point in your life – you write about the mindset you’re in at that moment.

“I don’t think I’d ever apologise for music I make, no.”

The Weeknd was a single child born to a single parent. His mother worked hard to provide.

“She was working three, four jobs. Single-mother jobs. The way you see in the movies.

“I had to learn everything from TV. I didn’t have a father figure in the house. No boys around. Just me and my mom. I didn’t want a sister, I wanted a brother. And then you realise you can’t have that.” So he turned to music, practising a Michael Jackson voice and living in a world lit by a computer monitor: “In high school, I would have a microphone on my laptop, and I would just, like, sing over that stuff. I found somebody that had a house studio. He was this producer that was gonna be big. Obviously, he didn’t get big. It was me doing covers. Me finding my voice, pretty much.”

The Weeknd dropped out of school and hit the road. “I could have ruined my whole life by dropping out of school. The consequences might have been horrible.” He didn’t need therapy to get off them. “No. Definitely not. I think that’s more when you’re privileged, you know? Going to a therapist is not something you do when you’re growing up as a street kid in Toronto. Sorry, bro.

“It was so scary, man. If I had been living in L.A., and it was like, ‘Hollywood, here I come…’? But it’s different. I wasn’t even from Toronto. And even making it from Toronto—this is before Drake and everything—it’s not really a believable, realistic thing.

“I don’t think I did it to make it. I don’t think I was like, ‘I’m leaving. I’m going to go become a star.’ It was more like, ‘I need to get out of here and live another life.’ You know? Be somebody else. Not a star, just someone else.”

The fact he walked out on his mom motivated him to make something of himself. He realised failure wasn’t an option.

“How about this. I couldn’t ever go back home without being something. I probably would never have gone back home if… That was definitely a big motivation. To get back home, and not empty-handed.”

Drugs continue to play a part, opening The Weeknd’s mind to music that might otherwise stay locked away.

“Even on this new album. You have writer’s block. And sometimes you’re like, I can’t do this sober.”

Out came the blow, the cognac and similar mood enhancers. “And the ball started rolling. And then I didn’t need it any more. Right now, I feel in control. Where it takes me after, I don’t know.”

The Weeknd is the king of sex pop. He’s dating Selena Gomez, still has the coolest hairstyle on the planet – even though the dreads have gone – and is thrilled that the hard work on his new album paid off.

“I worked really hard on this album. And I felt like I need to relieve a lot of stress.

“[Cutting off my hair] feels good, ’cause I get to blend in. If I want to go to a club, I can just go and I’m not there. I can go to a restaurant and I’m not there. I look like everybody else, which is boring, but maybe I just want to look like everybody else for a bit.”