The Weeknd Reveals The Origin Of His Name + More

Karas Lamb Karas Lamb

Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY.

The Weeknd recently answered questions about the origin of his stage name and the location of the House Of Balloons during a chat with fans for Reddit's Ask Me Anything series. Taking the road less traveled to promote his Kiss Land LP, The Weeknd traded in the traditional interview circuit to open the floor to fans curious about his life and music. He talked about his writing style - the content of his songs is derived from personal experience - and Ethiopian heritage; The Weeknd's earliest years were spent speaking only Amharic in a household with his mother and grandmother. He also fielded questions about future collaborations. Check the text below to read a bit of what he had to say. Scroll down to check the full interview. Purchase The Weeknd's Kiss Land LP via iTunes.

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Reddit: Where did "The Weeknd" come from? I've always wondered.

The Weeknd: I left home when I was about 17 dropped out of high school and convinced Lamar to do the same lol. We grabbed our mattresses from our parents threw it in our friends shitty van and left one weekend and never came back home. It was gonna be the title of HOB. I hated my name at the time though so I tried it as a stage name. It sounded cool. I took out the "e" because there was already a canadian band named the weekend (copyright issues).

RDT: Do you speak Ahmaric?

TW: Yes fluently. First language I learned. Had no dad and mom was working 24/7 so my grandma raised me until I was like 5. No English.

RDT: Is there a chance of a collab with Frank Ocean?

TW: Never met him. Love channel orange though!

RDT: Any plans on collabing with Kavinsky again? I'm addicted to your remix of Odd Look.

TW: Without hesitation

RDT: How long did it take to make your first album, House of Balloons? Also, what are the main differences in creating music, now that you're signed and famous?

TW: House of balloons was special because I had no deadlines and nobody knew me so there were no expectations. Spent a year making it perfect. Every song had at least like 7 Different versions to them before picking the right one

RDT: Is House of Balloons a real place? Where was it?

TW: 65 spencer in parkdale

>>>Read the full text of The Weeknd's recent AMA via Reddit

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