The Weeknd has revealed his “heavy” drug use while recording early music. In a new interview, the singer expressed that while he used drugs as a “crutch” at the beginning of his career, he could never imagine doing that now.
“When I had nothing to do but make music, it was very heavy. Drugs were a crutch for me,” the “Starboy” singer said to The Guardian. “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.”
“I’ll be completely honest with you,” he further said. “The past couple of albums, I do get back to that. Even on this new album. You have writer’s block. And sometimes you’re like, I can’t do this sober.”
Since he released his latest album, Starboy, on Nov. 25 it has been nothing but good news for the singer, and he recently just broke the record for most Spotify streams in a single day. The album featured collaborations with Kendrick Lamar, Daft Punk and Lana Del Rey.
The Chairman and Co-Founder of Republic Records released a statement to Billboard that read, “Spotify’s continued support of The Weeknd has now reached historic proportions and also reinforced the tremendous growth of global streaming.”
Troy Carter, Global Head of Creator Services at Spotify, echoed his statement, saying, “We’re proud to have partnered with The Weeknd, his management and Republic Records on a phenomenal album.”
The singer also recently announced his upcoming Starboy: Legend Of The Fall tour, with the first phase slated to begin on Feb. 17. The tour will end on June 9 in Cincinnati and runs through much of 2017. The Weeknd is slated to perform at arenas in the UK, Europe and North America.
