"Nobody knew what I looked like" - The Weeknd reveals his job before fame — and how he still works with his old boss

Recently, Toronto-based hitmaker and international music sensation The Weeknd (also known as Abel Tesfaye) made a guest appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to promote his upcoming film, Lionsgate's Hurry Up Tomorrow. The film will star Tesfaye alongside Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan. During the interview with Fallon, Abel spoke on life before fame when he was working at an American Apparel outlet before he made his star turn.

He claimed that despite the fact that his music would play in the store, "nobody knew what I looked like," which helped build his confidence as he operated behind the scenes. This growth in his confidence ultimately allowed him to have the wherewithal to leave the store and commit to his journey in music.

The Weeknd shares his previous job experience on The Tonight Show

During the recently aired interview with Fallon, Abel shared:

"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.'"

From that point on, he claimed that leaving his workplace was his biggest goal, and he was emboldened to do so because of the response to his music. He also shared that his former boss is still on his team, and interestingly, plays a crucial part in his artistic direction:

"My boss is actually one of my creative directors. He does all my typography for my albums now.”

Tesfaye has never been interviewed on The Tonight Show, but has an interesting story involving the program. When The Weeknd dropped Can't Feel My Face, it went viral, in part, due to Tom Cruise’s lip-sync on Fallon’s show.

In a full circle moment, a full decade later, Abel read out a statement promoting Cruise's new movie Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning, which premieres in theaters on May 23. It will be the final instalment in the series.

He also delivered a live performance of his songs Baptized in Fear and Open Hearts. To mark the performance, he belted out the songs with the support of a live band in front of a sequence of flashing lights and strobes.

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The Weeknd is currently mid-tour, with his After Hours til Dawn 2025 performances scheduled through September 3. After that, his next moves are unclear as he is committed to retiring The Weeknd persona, although he has assured fans it does not signify a hiatus from making music.

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