Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye reveals in a new interview that filming the upcoming HBO series “The Idol” may have contributed to him losing his voice late last year.
The situation became so dire that the rapper had to cut short a concert in Los Angeles, Variety reports. Tesfaye apologized to the audience and promised to issue refunds. His show was ultimately rescheduled, but Tesfaye told W magazine that filming “The Idol” might have strained his vocal cords.
“No voice came out at all. That’s never happened before,” he told W magazine.
Tesfaye said he “forgot how to sing” because in “The Idol” he plays “a character who doesn’t know how to sing.
“I may be looking too deeply into this, but it was terrifying,” he said in the W interview, noting that “there was something very complicated going on with my mind at that moment.”
Tesfaye co-created “The Idol” with “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson. The dark satire series is inspired by the artist and his own relationship with his fans. The show centers on an aspiring pop star and the self-help guru who guides her.
Here’s how HBO describes the series: “After a nervous breakdown derailed Jocelyn’s (Lily-Rose Depp) last tour, she’s determined to claim her rightful status as the greatest and sexiest pop star in America. Her passions are reignited by Tedros (Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye), a nightclub impresario with a sordid past. Will her romantic awakening take her to glorious new heights or the deepest and darkest depths of her soul?”
“The Idol” will debut June 4 on HBO.
As previously reported in theGrio, Tesfaye wants to “kill The Weeknd” moniker and use his given name as his stage name.
“It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter,” the Grammy-winning artist told W Magazine, adding, “As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.”
Tesfaye said he’s on a mission to “shed that skin and be reborn.”
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