The Weeknd says any criticism he is faced with is "not worth dwelling on".

The 'Timeless' hitmaker - whose real name is Abel Tesfaye - takes any criticism he receives as "highly constructive" feedback and admits the negative comments about his controversial erotic mini-series 'The Idol' were "confusing".

He told Complex magazine: "I believe criticism can be highly constructive, but when you don't understand what you're being criticised for, it can be a little confusing. When deciding to play a despicable character you face the challenge of negative perception.

Sometimes it's hard to decipher whether the criticism is about a performance, the character itself, or the decision of taking the role. Ultimately, it's not worth dwelling on."

The HBO series, which starred Abel, 35, and Lily-Rose Depp, 25, ended early after five episodes instead of the originally intended six instalments and had been met with fierce backlash - with some critics even describing the series as "torture porn" due to its explicit content.

The show - which was created by 'Euphoria' writer Sam Levinson, Abel and Reza Fahim - followed Lily-Rose's pop star character Jocelyn, who turned to self-help guru and cult leader Tedros (Abel) after having a nervous breakdown.

In the finale, she turned the tables on Tedros for his attempts to control her life and career.

Lily-Rose defended the sex scenes and insisted it was meant to be "provocative" and "polarising" despite the criticism.

The Weeknd admitted it was a "bumpy" ride after the series ended earlier than planned.

He wrote on Instagram at the time: "The finale.

"Grateful to share this moment with you all as the season comes to an end. Continue to push the vision no matter how bumpy the journey."