The Weeknd is Thinking About Retiring His Alter Ego & Going By His Birth Name

The Weeknd performs during the half time show at Super Bowl LV in 2021
The Weeknd performs during the half time show at Super Bowl LV in 2021. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Shutterstock (11750081k)

Abel Tesfaye has spent his entire career performing under the name The Weeknd, but he’s not planning to do it for much longer. The Canadian singer revealed he’s thinking about retiring his moniker after his next album and keep performing under his birth name instead.

The Weeknd discussed his upcoming HBO show The Idol alongside Lily-Rose Depp with W Magazine, but he also touched upon his plans for the future as a musician. He revealed he’s thinking about releasing music under his birth name because he wants to “kill The Weeknd” and be reborn.

“The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd. This is something that I have to do. As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say… It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter,” he told W Magazine.

Tesfaye released five albums under The Weeknd moniker, including his latest LP Dawn FM last year. He embraced this stage name in honor of a turbulent time in his life, when he dropped out of school, left his parents’ home one weekend, and never came back. He decided to drop the “E” to avoid copyright problems with the Canadian pop-rock band The Weekend.