The Weeknd Talks About His Drunk Taylor Swift Encounter, Calls His Next Single “The Money Shot” In ‘Rolling Stone’

Carl Williott | October 21, 2015 2:01 pm

The Weeknd has arrived. Sure, he has a chart-topping album and two chart-topping singles to his name, shared the stage with Taylor Swift, headlined Made In America and got Nicki Minaj on a remix, but he did not fully arrive into that upper stratosphere of pop stardom until now. Because now, he has a cover on the vaunted Rolling Stone, that iconic publication that has been graced by luminaries like the Black Eyed Peas, Kim Kardashian and the Boston Marathon Bomber.

Throughout the lengthy feature interview, The Weeknd discusses his rise, his post-BBTM plans and what could certainly be construed as a #problematic run-in with a drunk Taylor Swift. The mag also reveals “In The Night” will be the album’s next single, which is not surprising to anyone who’s heard it. Check out the highlights below.

On his (dorky) beginnings: “I wasn’t in shape. I wasn’t a pretty boy. I was awkward as fuck. I didn’t like the way I looked in pictures — when I saw myself on a digital camera, I was like, ‘Eesh.'”

On the mixtapes’ impact: “It definitely changed the culture. No one can do a trilogy again without thanking the Weeknd. A lot of artists started doing things faster and quicker after that: Justin Timberlake dropped two albums in a year, Beyoncé dropped a surprise album…I’m not gonna say any names, but just listen to the radio. Every song is House of Balloons 2.0.”

On meeting Taylor Swift: “She was like, ‘I’ve been listening to ‘The Morning’ [from House of Balloons] for years — it’s one of my favorite songs ever!’ I mean, she might have just Googled it. But she seemed genuine…But the whole time she was talking, she was kind of, like, petting my hair? I think she was just drawn to it — she must have been a little gone off a few drinks. And of course I’m not going to be like, ‘Hey, can you stop?’ I mean, it felt good! But when she started petting my hair, that’s when I was like, ‘I definitely need a drink.'”

On next single “In The Night”: “If it works, it’s going to be huge. It’s like that load that you’re trying to hold in — I’m just waiting for the money shot.”

On pop music: “Some people are like, ‘Oh, yeah, just sell out and do pop music.’ So you fucking do it, then! It’s not easy. Can I be honest with you? What all these kids are doing right now? I could do that in my sleep. I listen to it, and it doesn’t test me at all…But pop music? That shit’s hard, dude.”

On longevity: “We live in an era when everything is so excessive, I think it’s refreshing for everybody to be like, ‘Who the fuck is this guy?’ I think that’s why my career is going to be so long: Because I haven’t given people everything.”

On his next move: “I think I’m gonna drop one more album, one more powerful body of work, then take a little break — go to Tokyo or Ethiopia or some shit.”

Read the full interview over at Rolling Stone.