The Weeknd enjoyed 'luxury' of anonymity
The Weeknd enjoyed the "luxury" of anonymity early in his career and even his former colleagues had no idea he was a successful musician when they worked together.
The Weeknd's former colleagues had no idea he was a successful musician when they worked together.
The 'Blinding Lights' hitmaker - whose real name is Abel Tesfaye - released his first songs anonymously and seeing the reactions from people who didn't know it was his work gave him the "validation" he needed to dedicate himself to his music career.
Speaking to Jenna Ortega in conversation for V magazine, he said: "I've been recording since I was about 14 or 15, but I didn’t really blow up until my early 20s.
"But even then, you know, inspired by Daft Punk, I wanted the music to speak for itself, right? When I put music out, nobody knew what I looked like. I was just getting off the street, not quite homeless anymore.
"I had a day job at American Apparel, and people at my job were playing my music. I had put it out. So, people were playing my music and had no idea that I was standing and working right beside them. So that to me was the validation I needed to quit my job and focus on this 110%."
The 35-year-old musician is grateful he had the "luxury" of adjusting to success while remaining anonymous for some time.
He told Jenna: "Our experiences are a little different. When I was your age, I was able to hold on to being anonymous a little longer.
"My fans didn’t really know what I looked like until maybe three projects in.
"So I was very calculated because I didn’t want to get thrown in, and I wanted to experience life behind the camera. It was a luxury I was able to kind of carve out for myself.
"But you’re able to handle it with so much grace. I mean, the only advice I can really give you is to stay close to the people who knew you before all this."
The pair star together in 'Hurry Up Tomorrow', which is directed by Trey Edward Shults and co-written by the filmmaker, Reza Fahim and The Weend himself.
And The Weeknd praised Jenna for being "pretty important" in his career and an impressive figure on set.
He said: "You’re also a producer on the first film that I’ve ever done, which is kind of cool. So I think you have become a pretty important person in my career.
"The film that we worked on is deeply personal to me, but you brought so much insight to it. It’s no surprise. You’re an incredible actress, but what I discovered on set, and what I love, love, love telling people, is how incredible your instincts are as a storyteller and a filmmaker."
