The Weeknd recently opened up out about his struggles in the past when he once succumbed to "heavy" drug use, and continues to use them while creating music.
In an intimate and very recent interview with The Guardian, the 26-year-old hit-maker aka Abel Tesfaye talked about his "past couple of albums" 'Beauty Behind the Madness' and 'Starboy' saying, "Even on this new album. You have writer's block. And sometimes you're like, I can't do this sober."
Tesfaye also talked about his start as a kid on the streets of Toronto, Canada. Raised by a single mother, he admitted to feeling a lot of loneliness.
"I didn't have a father figure in the house," he said. "No boys around. Just me and my mom."
The 'Can't Feel My Face' artist said he eventually dropped out of high school and moved out of his mother's home when he was 17. He and his pal La Mar Taylor then moved into a one-bedroom apartment in a suburb of Toronto.
This became the time when the duo spent most of their money on drugs and alcohol as, The Weeknd told The Guardian, he thought it was the only way he could be himself.
"When I had nothing to do but make music, it was very heavy," he said. "Drugs were a crutch for me. There were songs on my first record that were seven minutes long, rambling - whatever thoughts I was having when I was under the influence at the time. I can't see myself doing that now," he shared.