In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, The Weeknd spoke about his highly-anticipated new album, the upcoming HBO series he’s developing with Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, being nominated for an Emmy, and more.
Speaking about his follow-up to After Hours, The Weeknd said that he’s in the final stages of finishing up the album and that he expects it to be finished “by the end of this month.” The Weeknd also said that he’s been making time to work on his HBO series, which he will co-write and star in.
“Yeah, I’m finishing the new album right now,” the artist told THR. “It should be done by the end of this month and we’re just kind of figuring out when to put it out. It’s been really cool because I’m working on this album this summer simultaneously with the writer’s room for the new TV show. So, I’ve been kind of going back and forth from finishing the album and pending up the show that we’re going to start shooting soon. It’s been quite a summer.”
The HBO series is tentatively titled The Idol and will feature Joseph Epstein as showrunner. According to Deadline, The Idol will follow the story of “a female pop singer who starts a romance with an enigmatic L.A. club owner who is the leader of a secret cult.”
Elsewhere in the chat, The Weeknd was asked about his Super Bowl Halftime performance being nominated at the 2021 Emmys.
“It was definitely unexpected,” he said. “I had no idea that it was even possible to get nominated for an Emmy for the Super Bowl, so I was very grateful. I found out that they submitted for me, but I had no idea that you could submit. So, it was a pleasant surprise.”
Head over to The Hollywood Reporter to read The Weeknd’s interview in its entirety.