"I was able to hide behind music": The Weeknd opens up about stage fright, mental issues, panic attacks, success, and more

The Weeknd recently released a psychological thriller film titled Hurry Up Tomorrow on May 16, 2025. During an interview with ET, the Starboy singer revealed that the film is a passion project for him because many of the things portrayed in the film happened to him in real life. However, there's more than meets the eye, and Abel candidly told The Guardian newspaper about his struggles with different issues.

Abel Tesfaye shared how making Hurry Up Tomorrow felt therapeutic for him because of how vulnerable he could be with Trey Edward Shults, the director. He said:

"If it wasn't for [Trey], I would have kept it in the vault – I've kept a lot of albums in the vault. But it felt right to tell it."

He explained what it felt like to be able to trust someone and reveal your inner (child) self to them:

"Men have this forcefield – it’s like we want to come off as invincible, and vulnerability is something you run away from. I was able to be vulnerable in my music, but I was able to hide behind music.

For me to trust someone like Trey to allow myself to be vulnerable, that was new for me. It felt like a therapy session for all of us. I was able to face my child self. We go through so much that we don’t even remember as children, we just suppress everything. If you don’t deal with it, it comes out."

The Weeknd opens up about struggles with panic attacks, mental issues, and more

Before Hurry Up Tomorrow was even in the works, The Weeknd had an experience that prompted him to write the movie based on certain life experiences. In 2022, the Blinding Lights singer was due to perform at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, but he couldn't because his voice would not come out.

Tesfaye shared with The Guardian:

"I ran backstage to find my vocal coach: I can't sing, it's not coming out. And what I found out later on is that I was having a panic attack. It wasn't a physical injury. It was more up here than it was here," the singer gestured to his head instead of his throat.

Before The Weeknd had a panic attack, he was working overtime and switching roles between his persona and the character he was playing on his TV series, The Idol. He overworked himself to the point where his body was giving him signs. Abel shared:

"Any time something happened in my life, I could always rely on going on stage and escaping whatever’s going on. This was the first time I couldn't just escape. My body was like: you can't sing it away. You have to figure it out."

There were discussions that Abel is going to retire his persona, a.k.a. The Weeknd. He told The Guardian:

"...it gets to a point where you don't want to be identified for something you started at 19 years old – and then the music industry capitalises off it, off misery or whatever. The Weeknd felt like a 15-year film."

He mentioned that he feels like it has probably come to an end with his latest film, Hurry Up Tomorrow. Tesfaye added:

"I got to say: cut! And that’s a wrap."

He adds:

"There is definitely something that isn't fulfilled for me, and the only way you can go there is if you close a chapter somewhere else... I want to tap into a different part of my life: my heritage."

The Weeknd concludes by saying:

"Everything needs to feel like a challenge. And for me right now, The Weeknd, whatever that is, it's been mastered. No one's gonna do The Weeknd better than me, and I'm not gonna do it better than what it is right now."

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In a very real conversation with The Guardian, Abel Tesfaye, a.k.a. The Weeknd, opens up about the nitty-gritty parts of being an actor and an artist simultaneously. He recalls the time when he had a panic attack on stage because he overworked himself. Additionally, the Die For You singer also mentioned how he might be ready to retire his onstage persona in search of something else, like his heritage.

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