The Weeknd's Next Album Will Be Inspired By BLM Movement, COVID-19 Pandemic

The Weeknd had the fourth best-selling album of 2020 with “After Hours.” However, that’s going to be a thing of the past soon because the artist has already started working on his next album that will be a lot different than his previous records.

In an interview with TMRW magazine, the 30-year-old musician opened up about his craft and how the pandemic helped him in creating music inspired by the many events that happened in the outgoing year. The singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, noted that his upcoming album will be inspired by events like the Black Lives Matter movement and COVID-19 pandemic.

The “Blinding Lights” hitmaker also shared that he has been “more inspired” during the global health crisis.

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

During the interview, the three-time Grammy-winning singer also opened up about the hit album “After Hours,” saying that the record is the “perfect piece of art” for him.

“I was laser-focused back then and I am laser-focused right now. This has been the story of my 20s. I feel like I spent the last 10 years creating a sound and most of my career, I have either been running away from it or duplicating it. ‘After Hours’ was the perfect piece of art for me to show my tenure in the industry,” TMRW quoted Tesfaye, as saying.

The album received universal acclaim and remained at the no. 1 spot on Billboard 200 chart for four consecutive weeks.

However, even after having such a big album and a record-breaking song, the artist failed to garner a nomination at the 2021 Grammys. The whole social media erupted when The Weeknd did not receive a single nomination.

“Blinding Lights” went on to peak at no. 1 in almost 34 countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, and Switzerland.

The track also broke the record for the most number of weeks spent on the top five of the Billboard Hot 100.

“After Hours” was the musician’s fourth studio album and the first in the last four years. He was also nominated in the Best Original Song category at the Academy Awards for his song “Earned It” from the movie “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

The Weeknd has three Grammys, five American Music Awards, and nine Billboard Music Awards to his name thus far.