The Weeknd treats his albums "like films".
The Weeknd for Forbes magazine
The 'Can't Feel My Face' hitmaker prefers to treat his music like "visual candy" so it is more like cinema, his "first true love".
He said: "I kind of treat my albums like films when I write them, telling one big story. More visual candy and hopefully a venture into my first true love, cinema."
And the 27-year-old singer - who is dating 'Bad Liar' hitmaker Selena Gomez - feels the landscape of music has changed since the "Golden Age" and says the money "really comes in when you hit the stage".
He added: "We live in a world where artists don't really make the money off the music like we did in the Golden Age. It's not really coming in until you hit the stage."
And the 'Starboy' hitmaker - whose real name is Abel Tesfaye -is happy to release his music on streaming sites as he wanted "people who had no idea" who he was to hear his songs.
He told Forbes magazine: "I really wanted people who had no idea who I was to hear my project. You don't do that by asking for money."
Meanwhile, The Weeknd previously revealed he wants his live performances to "feel like opera".
He explained: "Environment is very important to me. Sometimes I have to perform during the day for festivals, and my music does not work in the daytime. It is night-time music. When you come to my show, I want it to feel like opera, like a theatre. The darkness is important for me ...
"Look at Kanye's shows - he changed the game. We're looking at floor seats differently now in arena shows. I want to animate the space like that on this tour."
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