The Weeknd Hints At New Music Inspired By COVID-19 & Black Lives Matter

As 2020 finally comes to a close, The Weeknd is giving fans some information on where he’s at during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and what that means for his future releases.

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During a recent interview with TMRW, the singer reflected on how not touring, along with everything else that has come with the COVID-19 pandemic, has affected his writing process over the past couple months.

“I have been more inspired and creative during the pandemic than I might normally be while on the road,” he told the mag. “The pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the tensions of the election have mostly created a sense of gratitude for what I have and closeness with the people near me.”

Elsewhere in the conversation, Abel went on to sum up what he feels is “the story” of his 20s.

“I feel like I spent the last 10 years creating a sound and most of my career I’ve either been running away from it or duplicating it,” he revealed. “After Hours was the perfect piece of art for me to show my tenure in the industry.”

The Weeknd also talked about his 2020 performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, which both literally and figuratively took him to vertiginous new heights.

“It was terrifying. The helicopters were really close to me and it took so much concentration to stay on pitch due to their noise,” he said in the interview. “The wind from the choppers was so strong that it felt as if I could get blown right off the building.”