The New Dawn has arrived! Keeping the dawn theme alive and well, Abel dropped a one-and-a-half-minute teaser, along with tweeting, “Say your final goodbyes,” along with, “F*ck it, it starts tonight.”

 

 

 

The Weeknd is also on the September cover of GQ magazine, looking handsome as ever.

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Weeknd (@theweeknd)

 

 

At the beginning of his interview, Abel explains how he differs from The Weeknd when at home, “The lines were blurry at the beginning. And as my career developed— as I developed as a man — it’s become very clear that Abel is someone I go home to every night. And the Weeknd is someone I go to work as. …Abel can be badass sometimes, man. But I guess the Weeknd is Hyde. Abel is Dr. Jekyll.”

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GQ (@gq)

 

 

He also opened up about his first-ever mixtape (House of Balloons, 2011), how know one knew who he was, and how he heard his own song for the first time on radio while working at American Apparel. “I am not dark.  My art is dark, and I’ve gone through dark times. I’ve used those dark times as inspiration for my art. But I feel like because I’m not dark, I was able to channel it and put it into my music and into my art.”

 

The Weeknd was also asked about the Grammys, and how his album After Hours was snubbed big time, “I guess I just wasn’t good enough.  I just don’t care. Because that will never be the reason why I do what I do. It never really was before. And I’m glad that I can make music and not have to think about that. I’ll never be in that conversation ever again.”

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GQ (@gq)

 

 

And after years of using alcohol and hard drugs, Abel describes himself as ‘sober lite,’ “I’m not a heavy drinker, as much as I used to be. The romance of drinking isn’t there.  Looking back, drugs were a crutch for me at my lowest point.  It was me thinking that I needed it. And not doing the work to figure out how not to need it.  And I’ve spent the last few years realizing that and thanking God that I don’t need it. Because for a lot of people, it’s hard to shake it. But I knew I didn’t want it,” he tells GQ.

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GQ (@gq)

 

 

The Weeknd also revealed he gave up drugs because he ‘eventually’ would like to have a family, “I know I say I don’t, but I know I do. I want children.  I like the trajectory of my career. But also I feel like having children would influence me and inspire me more.”

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GQ (@gq)

 

 

This is just the beginning of The Weeknd, and I’m here for it!

Filed under: the-weeknd