MUSIC
The Weeknd on retiring his stage name: “I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn”
The Weeknd hints his next album may be the last he releases under his stage name.
Abel Tesfaye has been releasing music under The Weeknd moniker for over a decade, securing his spot as a musical force to be reckoned with, earning plenty of accolades, including four Grammys.
Now as Tesfaye gears up for the release of his first television effort, ‘The Idol’, starring himself as charismatic cult leader Tedros and Lily Rose-Depp as his love interest, Jocelyn, he also seems prepared to change the direction of his musical career, and potentially retire The Weeknd forever.
An identity crisis brought on by ‘The Idol’
“I’m going through a cathartic path right now,” Tesfaye told W Magazine, opening up about the changes he’s going through in his career.
“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.”
Tesfaye described an identity crisis he faced while filming a portion of ‘The Idol’ during one of his concerts in Los Angeles, where he switched back and forth Tedros and The Weeknd. After the show, Tesfaye lost his voice, which he found terrifying.
“It was tough to go from one head to another. Then, after the concert, I lost my voice,” he recalled.
“As The Weeknd, I’ve never skipped a concert. I’ve performed with the flu. I’ll die on that stage. But there was something very complicated going on with my mind at that moment.”
No more stories left to tell as The Weeknd
The Weeknd has been Tesfaye’s alter ego throughout his career, with music videos that take viewers on a journey to the darker parts of the nightlife, allowing Tesfaye to play a character that guides the music and allows listeners a chance to momentarily experience those darker aspects.
“The visuals are vital to my career,” Tesfaye said of his music videos, performances, and photoshoots. But Tesfaye is beginning to feel that perhaps he’s already told all the stories he was to tell as The Weeknd.
“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.”
Tesfaye reflects on when he lost his voice and took a moment to consider what The Weeknd actually means.
“When everyone around me is worried, I get very still. But I did panic when I lost my voice. I had to rest and reflect and think about The Weeknd and Tedros and all that had happened with the show.”
While Tesfaye records what could very well be the last The Weeknd album, fans can tune in to watch him as Tedros in ‘The Idol’ on Sunday, June 4, 2023, on HBO.