So as you probably already know, the Weeknd recently dropped his fourth album, After Hours.
And to promote the album, he gave a candid interview with Variety where he talked about a bunch of different topics, including the moment when he realized his music was having an impact.
The Weeknd said he knew he was changing the sound of music when, according to him, Usher copied the sound of his 2011 mixtape, House of Balloons, saying:
House of Balloons’ literally changed the sound of pop music before my eyes. I heard "Climax," that [2012] Usher song, and was like, "Holy fuck, that’s a Weeknd song."
He went on to say that he was angry at first, but now, in retrospect, he realizes it was a positive thing:
It was very flattering, and I knew I was doing something right, but I also got angry. But the older I got, I realized it’s a good thing.