The Weeknd Scores GQ Magazine Cover, Speaks On His Sobriety & ‘Dark Times’

The Weekndhas several hits on the charts currently, but one very important thing was on his mind when he sat down with GQ magazine. The August cover boy got real about his sobriety and the struggles of being The Weeknd. “I eventually want a family,” shared the “Blinding Lights” singer but in order to do that he had to change a few things about his lifestyle and one of those things was his use of substances. He isn’t completely sober, but he is much better than he was before. “I do [drink]. Occasionally. I’m not a heavy drinker, as much as I used to be,” he admitted. “The romance of drinking isn’t there.”

The Weeknd whose real name is Abel Tesfaye is living life as “sober lite” these days so that means yes, he does still smoke marijuana but nothing else. “Drugs were a crutch. It was me thinking that I needed it. And not doing the work to figure out how not to need it.” The singer shared that he has done the work to not need h crutch of drugs anymore. “I’ve spent the last few years realizing that and thanking God that I don’t need it. Because for a lot of people, it’s hard to shake it. But I knew I didn’t want it.”

The “Save Your Tears” singer also addressed the issues he has with being connected to the character of The Weeknd. “I am not dark. My art is dark, and I’ve gone through dark times. I’ve used those dark times as inspiration for my art,” he shared. noting that he has tried a few ways of separating himself from the troubled character. One of those ways is having the character beat up in his music videos. “It’s crazy, right? I think it’s me removing The Weeknd from Abel. I think a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, he’s suicidal.’ It’s not that. I think it’s me removing The Weeknd from the world, but he still finds his way back.”

The singer ultimately knows that with successful hits like “Blinding Lights”, “Save Your Tears”, and “Heartless” the persona “is obviously not going to have him disappear anytime soon.” The GQ cover comes at a time when the singer is at his best and using his power to stand up for what he believes is right for his career. Boycotting the Grammys is one of those power moves. “I guess I just wasn’t good enough. I don’t believe that, but to their standards, that’s what it is,” he told the publication. “Looking back at it, I never want to know what really happened. I just don’t care. Because that will never be the reason why I do what I do. It never really was before.”

When pressured about his statement to “never” submit to the Grammys again, he stayed true to his choice. “I have no interest. Everyone’s like, ‘No, just do better next time.’ I will do better, but not for you. I’m going to do better for me.” The Weeknd doubled back to reiterate that no matter what he plans on sticking to his decisions in life because that’s where accountability lies. That includes his choice to stay “sober lite”.