The Weeknd Covers 'TIME' Magazine

Abel Tesfaye has revealed he scrapped a "very upbeat" album recorded while with Selena Gomez

BY Calum SlingerlandPublished May 17, 2018

As the Weeknd continues to ride the success of his latest effort My Dear Melancholy, Abel Tesfaye has landed on the cover of TIME magazine as one of the publication's "Next Generation Leaders." What's more, the Canadian singer revealed in the story that he scrapped a "very upbeat" album captured during his now-ended relationship with Selena Gomez.

In a rare interview with the magazine, Tesfaye described the recording process of My Dear Melancholy, as "therapeutic," adding, "You want to get it out. It's like you close a chapter."

Much as been made about whether or not Tesfaye's lyrics reference his split from Selena Gomez. While he didn't "want to open that Pandora's box, talking about relationships" with TIME, the singer did reveal that some less sombre tracks were scrapped ahead of Melancholy's release.

A section of the TIME story reads:

"Prior to Melancholy, I had a whole album written, done," Tesfaye says. "Which wasn't melancholy at all because it was a different time in my life." I ask if that album, presumably recorded while he was still with Gomez, was more upbeat. "Yeah," he says. "It was very upbeat — it was beautiful." But he scrapped the project because he's moved past that part of his life. "I don't want to perform something that I don't feel," he says. Will we ever hear it? "Never," he insists.

You can read TIME's complete interview here.

Tesfaye recently popped up on Rae Sremmurd's ambitious triple-album SR3MM.

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