No day off for The Weeknd: Artist talks upcoming album, Emmy nod

The award-winning 31-year-old crooner, with so much on his plate, discussed how he managed his work-life balance

Last year, the Canadian R&B singer The Weeknd made headlines for several reasons. His latest album, After Hours, shot to the top of the hit parade and spent four weeks in the number one slot on the Billboard Album Charts. The single Blinding Lights was the USA's longest-running top 10 hit ever. The success of After Hours guaranteed the singer's multiple nominations in the Grammys – almost. The Weeknd, however, wasn't nominated in a single category that led to a lot of drama and disappointment.

The Starboy hit maker has since announced he will not be submitting his work to Grammys. While The Weeknd - real name Abel Tesfaye - had not managed to bag a Grammy nomination, news of him being honoured with an Emmy nod has been making the rounds. The 31-year-old star has been acknowledged for his popular Super Bowl performance.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the Earned It crooner talked about the famous gig, award shows and his upcoming album, The Dawn is Coming. The Weeknd, with so much on his plate, discussed how he managed his work-life balance. “I don’t even know what winding down really means. I love to work. I love my job. I love to create.” He added, “I’m kind of just living in the moment right now."

The Herculean effort

Talking about taking on the task, the Call Out My Name singer shared he was feeling the pressure of performing for SuperBowl. "Naturally. Just the idea that it’s the Super Bowl alone, you know, there was that pressure. Then, having to adjust to what we’re dealing with and making it a Covid-safe, Covid-free environment."

But there was a silver lining. "We got to be very creative and got to make it a cinematic journey — less of a halftime show spectacle, more of a narrative. So there was a silver lining in that, but we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into. We were kind of blind, but it turned out great."

There were praises, some criticism and of course, the internet churned out impressive memes. The Weeknd chuckled, "Oh, I couldn’t escape it." He continued, "No, but it was fun, though. I’m glad that we got some memorable moments from the Super Bowl and, you know, they’re memories that we can look back at to a time that felt important. But it was fun, I enjoyed them."

The Grammys fiasco

The 63^rd annual Grammys falls nearly a year to the day after venues big and small were forced to close, as Covid-19 infections flared across the world. But it wouldn't be the Grammys without controversy: The Weeknd had pledged to stop submitting music for awards consideration after he surprisingly received no nominations, despite a big year commercially.

The Canadian superstar follows in the path of artists like Frank Ocean and Drake, who have turned up their nose at an institution they say fails Black artists and women. However, the actor revealed he was pleasantly surprised when he came to know about his Emmy nomination.

"It was definitely unexpected. I had no idea that it was even possible to get nominated for an Emmy for the Super Bowl, so I was very grateful. I found out that they submitted it for me, but I had no idea that you could submit it. So, it was a pleasant surprise," the singer went on.

In a post-pandemic world

The Save Your Tears vocalist remarked he is eagerly waiting for the post-pandemic world where he can perform for his fans. "Oh my God, I just miss performing in general, especially this album. I didn’t get to really perform it to my fans," he responded.

"There’s just something about going on tour, and even going on festival runs, and just experiencing new music with the crowd. Hopefully, we get to do that." He added, "Definitely. We’re just kind of like everyone else. We’re curious to see how the year unfolds, and it’s kind of a question mark. I’m kind of just living in the moment right now."

Down the line

Speaking of his upcoming album, The Dawn is Coming, the singer addressed the topic of his music always evolving. But he says "it’s organic."

He pointed out, "If I’m enjoying a sound or I’m feeling something and it’s inspiring me, then I’ll stay in that world. I do try to change it up as much as I can, but it’s gotta feel organic."

He also divulged into working round the clock - without any breaks. "I feel like Kathryn [his publicist] can answer that question. I don’t even know what winding down really means, I just love work, you know. I love to work. I love my job. I love to create. And if I do take a vacation, it can’t be for too long because I feel like I’m missing out on everything that I could be doing. So, yeah. I try my best, but no, I haven’t in a while. I do staycations if that counts," he commented.

The Often singer then unveiled his progress on the much-awaited new album. "Yeah, I’m finishing the new album right now. It should be done by the end of this month and we’re just kind of figuring out when to put it out," he said. "It’s been really cool because I’m working on this album this summer simultaneously with the writer’s room for the new TV show. So, I’ve been kind of going back and forth from finishing the album and pending up the show that we’re going to start shooting soon. It’s been quite a summer,” the artist concluded.

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