The Weeknd

“I always use Michael as, first and foremost, a vocal inspiration, and 'Off the Wall' was definitely the one that made me feel like I could sing.”

“'Kiss Land' is the story after 'Trilogy'; it's pretty much the second chapter of my life. The narrative takes place after my first flight; it's very foreign, very Asian-inspired. When people ask me, 'Why Japan?' I simply tell them it's the furthest I've ever been from home. It really is a different planet.”

“I don't think I'd ever apologise for music I make, no.”

“At one point, I didn't care. Now I want as many people to hear my music as possible.”

“All of my music is honest.”

“I want to produce the music to a movie that I'm working on, like what Prince did with 'Purple Rain.'”

“I make good music for long journeys.”

“When I was born, that was the music my mother was listening to. Michael Jackson is a third parent to me.”

“A chorus is not easy.”

“I mean... in life... what relationship is easy?”

“My inspiration is R. Kelly, Michael Jackson, and Prince - for the vocals, anyway.”

“When you come to my show, I want it to feel like opera, like a theatre.”

“My production and songwriting and the environment around those vocals are not inspired by R&B at all.”

“I was very camera shy. People like hot girls, so I put my music to hot girls and it just became a trend. The whole 'enigmatic artist' thing, I just ran with it. No one could find pictures of me.”

“When you're traveling constantly, every day you become inspired, and it shows in my work, sonically, lyrically, visually. Conversations with women with different accents and stories told in those accents. I like to create characters based on different people I've met, and relationships. I like to tell stories loosely based on real-life events.”

“I'm a studio rat.”

“For an Ethiopian mother, if you have a chubby kid, it means you're doing something good.”

“It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that there are people who can't or won't see what Black Lives Matter is trying to accomplish.”

“Let's be honest. Canada wasn't ever cool.”

“I want to be remembered as iconic and different.”