"Cathartic piece of art": When The Weeknd responded to fans' speculation about his EP My Dear Melancholy referencing ex Selena Gomez

In 2018, The Weeknd released his epic EP, My Dear Melancholy, following his breakup with Selena, causing fans to believe the album is about her. The R&B star and Selena Gomez dated for ten months in 2017 before ending things as "best friends," as per Gomez's testimony in an interview with Billboard in 2017.

In an exhaustive interview with Esquire in 2020, Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, opened up about his artistry, fame, and fans' speculations on who his songs are about. During the interview, the Starboy singer talked about how My Dear Melancholy was "cathartic" for him:

"The reason why it was so short is like, I think I just had nothing else to say on this... whatever.... It was just like this cathartic piece of art."

The Weeknd further added that the album was "short" because that was all he had to say for that moment.

When asked whether venting musically helped him, he said,

"Yeah, of course. I mean, that would have sucked if I didn't."

However, the Blinding Lights singer strictly responded, "No comment," when prodded whether the album was decidedly about someone.

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The Weeknd and Selena Gomez met in 2015

The Weeknd first met Selena in 2015 at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, where they both performed. At that time, The Weeknd was dating supermodel Bella Hadid, and Selena Gomez had just reunited with Justin Bieber.

In January 2017, the singers were spotted kissing in Los Angeles on a romantic dinner date. Around the same time, they debuted on Instagram as a couple before making things official with their Coachella appearance and red-carpet couple moment at the 2017 MET.

Speaking about the split, Selena said in a 2017 interview with Billboard that they continue to remain best friends and that it was remarkable for her. The Rare beauty mogul said:

"We ended it as best friends, and it was genuinely about encouraging and caring [for each other], and that was pretty remarkable for me."

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Fans speculate Call Out My Name from My Dear Melancholy is about Selena Gomez

The Idol actor's song Call Out My Name's lyrics were speculated to be referencing Selena, especially the part: "I said I didn't feel nothing baby, but I lied/ I almost cut a piece of myself for your life/ Guess I was just another pit stop/ Til' you made up your mind/ You just wasted my time/ You're on top."

Many fans believed the singer was referencing Selena's kidney transplant, which happened around the time they were reportedly dating, and that he wanted to donate his kidney. However, such interpretations were denied.

In the song, The Weeknd talks about how they "found each other" and that he helped her out of a "broken place," but ultimately falling for her was a "mistake" because he felt like he was used as a "pit stop" before she healed and moved on to someone else.

Fans took to Twitter to point out the Selena references in the song. Here are some of the tweets:

This also becomes significant since the singer scrapped an upbeat album to release this heartbreak medley—a personal decision for the Canadian singer. However, in the 2020 Esquire interview, the four-time Grammy winner downplayed the importance of this decision:

“It’s not my first time. I’ve scrapped so many records!”

It is safe to say that whatever may be the case with My Dear Melancholy, there is no bad blood between the two.

In 2022, The Weeknd was seen kissing Simi Khadra of DJ twin duo Simi & Haze, and while his ex Bella unfollowed Simi on Instagram, Selena was seen hanging out with the twins, therefore proving that all is well between the two.

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