The Weeknd is ready to retire his stage name and move into the next era.
The 34-year-old hitmaker says that his upcoming album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, will probably be his final one under the persona that made him famous.
The artist, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, discussed his intentions to retire his stage name after the completion of his current album trilogy, which started with 2020’s After Hours, continued with 2022’s Dawn FM, and will conclude on January 24 with Hurry Up Tomorrow, in a new Variety cover story that was released Friday, January 10.
Tesfaye clarified that the chapter in question is “my existence as the Weeknd” after implying in the interview that the last trilogy installment would signify a more comprehensive chapter close.
“It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I just don’t have any more desire for,” he said of his moniker. “You have a persona, but then you have the competition of it all. It becomes this rat race: more accolades, more success, more shows, more albums, more awards and more No. 1s. It never ends until you end it.”
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Abel added that his headline-making 2022 concert at SoFi Stadium — during which he had to stop and cancel midway through the show after losing his voice on stage — partially inspired his decision. “Part of me actually was thinking, ‘You lost your voice because it’s done,’” he told the publication. “You said what you had to say. Don’t overstay at the party — you can end it now and live a happy life … I just want to know what comes after.”
The publication also reports: “‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ album includes plenty of the sleek, chrome-plated hooks that have characterized many of The Weeknd’s biggest hits. But to a degree he hasn’t really done before, it also includes explorations of other genres: classic R&B, straight pop, acoustic guitars, fast beats and an epic, sweeping song, probably the finale, that recalls Prince’s Purple Rain.”
