Before he became an international superstar, The Weeknd had a regular 9-to-5.
During his late-night TV debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday, May 15, the Ontario native revealed that he wanted to make it as a musician because his biggest goal was “to quit my job.”
“I was working at American Apparel,” he said. “I was like 19; I was trying to fold clothes.”
“People working at American Apparel started playing the music. And that was the validation I needed. I was like, ‘I’m quitting this job, and this is mine. Yeah, it’s my full-time life,” he continued.
He went on to say that no one knew what he looked like because he didn’t show his face as an artist. When he heard people at his gig playing his music, that’s when decided to quit for good.
“People working at American Apparel started playing the music. And that was the validation I needed. I was like, ‘I’m quitting this job, and this is mine. Yeah, it’s my full-time life,” he recalled.
After leaving the world of retail, he kept working with his boss from American Apparel, but in a different capacity.
“My boss is actually one of my creative directors,” The Weeknd explained.”He does all my typography for my albums now.”
Following his conversation with Fallon, The Weeknd performed “Baptized in Fear” and “Open Hearts” off his new album.
Along with sharing his background in the retail industry, The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, was promoting his film, Hurry Up Tomorrow.
Premiering in theaters on Friday, May 16, the psychological thriller stars Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan.
