Photographed by Mark Seliger, Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd covers the November 5th issue of RollingStone. Opening up to the magazine about his hair, which is often a talking point amongst fans, Tesfaye shares that it was in part inspired by artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, but that he started growing it out four years ago. He explains, “I want to be remembered as iconic and different. So I was like, ‘Fuck it–I’m gonna let my hair just be what it wants.’ I’ll probably cut it if it starts interfering with my sight. I can kind of see it right now. But if I cut it, I’d look like everyone else. And that’s just so boring to me.”
Continuing the conversation, Tesfaye recalls having a conversation with Taylor Swift at a Grammys after-party. He reveals that “the whole time she was talking, she was kind of, like, petting my hair? I think she was just drawn to it–she must have been a little gone off a few drinks. And of course I’m not going to be like, ‘Hey, can you stop?’ I mean, it felt good! But when she started petting my hair, that’s when I was like, ‘I definitely need a drink.'” Read more on RollingStone.com.