Source: Rich Fury / Getty
Born Abel Tesfaye, the Toronto-born crooner, has gone by The Weeknd for over a decade, but as his artistry has evolved, he sees fit that his moniker changes too.
In a recent interview with
W magazine, Tesfaye
ponders the idea of the name change after his next project, which he’s steadily been teasing on
Twitter to his fans’ happiness. The inspiration comes from his belief that he’s reached the creative ceiling of that name, and a rebirth will create a new lane for inspiration.
“I’m going through a cathartic path right now,” said Tesfaye. “It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close The Weeknd chapter. I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn.”
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“The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd,” he added. “This is something that I have to do. As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.”
The idea of a name change is full circle as the chapter closes with another trilogy of projects. It began in 2020 with
After Hours and was followed up by
Dawn FM in 2022, with the last album ending the chapter.
It’s the same way his career began after loosies like “Loft Music” and “What You Need” found themselves online with the help of his Toronto brethren Drake. He was then officially introduced to the world with his
House of Balloons mixtape in 2011, which was the beginning of his first critically acclaimed trilogy as
Thursday and
Echoes of Silence followed in the same year.
Aside from music, Tesfaye’s also been sharpening his acting skills and is set to have a main role in the upcoming HBO series
The Idol, co-starring Lily-Rose Depp. Read what the two have to say about the forthcoming raunchy show and how it almost got
scrapped in the
W magazine interview.
See how Twitter’s reacting to the possible name change below.
