The Weeknd Says He's Ready To 'Kill Off' His Stage Name & Has Planned His Last Hurrah With It
"As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say."
The Weeknd.
The Weeknd might no longer be The Weeknd, if he has any say about it.
The Canadian musician, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, recently opened up about his stage name and his plans for upcoming music while chatting to W Magazine with Lily-Rose Depp about their upcoming show The Idol.
“I’m going through a cathartic path right now,” Tesfaye told the publication. “It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close The Weeknd chapter."
That doesn't mean he's taking a step back from creating smash hits.
"I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd," he shared.
"But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn."
The end of his persona might be coming sooner rather than later.
“The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd," Tesfaye shared. "This is something that I have to do. As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say."
He hasn't shared many details about his upcoming album, but here's hoping it has more of Jim Carrey, who did some voice work for his last album Dawn FM.
As for The Idol, which was recently condemned by Rolling Stone as "torture porn," it seems Tesfaye is optimistic.
"So, let’s say it comes out and it’s fucking horrible. I still know I did my absolute best. From what I’ve seen, the show is great," the artist said. "Everything is a risk: When you’ve done the best you can, I would call that a happy ending."
The Idol's season premiere is set for June 4, 2023 on HBO, according to IMDb.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.