The Weeknd has remained vocal about racial and social issues, particularly when he decided to donate $250,000 to the Black Lives Matter movement. Now, in a recent cover story with V MAN, the Toronto native touched on his support for the organization.
“I promised myself that I would never tweet or talk about politics and focus on the music, but I was just so bewildered that we lost more of our people to these senseless police shootings,” he said. “It’s hard to wrap my head around the fact that there are people who can’t or won’t see what Black Lives Matter is trying to accomplish.”
“The Hills” singer also added that he’s had a desire to create politically-charged music, but he feels that’s currently not his lane. “I wish I could make music about politics. I feel like it’s such an art and a talent that I admire tremendously, but when I step into the studio I step out of the real world, and it’s therapeutic. It’s an escape, but recently it’s been very hard to ignore, and it’s also been very distracting. Maybe you’ll hear it in my voice, but it is not my forté.”
.@TheWeeknd covers #VMAN36 where he discusses new album, political views & more: https://t.co/YUIPnPUylO pic.twitter.com/eYFkGAtjPx
— VMAN Magazine (@VMAN) September 6, 2016
Following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile at the hands of the police, the Grammy Award-winning artist tweeted his annoyance.
enough is enough. it’s time to stand up for this. we can either sit and watch, or do something about it. the time is now. #blacklivesmatter
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) July 7, 2016
On the subject of his forthcoming Beauty Behind The Madness album follow-up, The Weeknd said that his Ethiopian heritage will play a prominent role in the sound of his melodies.
“I’ve been told my singing isn’t conventional. Ethiopian music was the music I grew up on, artists like Tilahun Gessesse, Aster Aweke, and Mahmoud Ahmed. These are my subconscious inspirations,” he said. “‘The Hills’ was the first time you actually heard the Ethiopian language in my music. It will definitely be key on this next record.”