A few days before his appearance on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, global pop star The Weeknd has decided to return to his roots by reclaiming his real name, Abel Tesfaye, and has vowed to eventually “kill” his stage name.
On social networks such as Twitter (where he has 17 million followers) and Instagram (55.6 million), the “Blinding Lights” singer’s accounts displayed both his stage name and his true identity.
This evolution is no coincidence, as the 33-year-old artist explained in a recent interview with fashion magazine W. In the interview, Tesfaye shared that he is undergoing a “cathartic experience” and intends to “kill” The Weeknd.
He will continue to make music, perhaps under his real name, Abel, or maybe as The Weeknd, but his goal is to get rid of his artistic alter ego. Tesfaye stated that the album he is currently working on will be the last time he uses his stage name. “It will probably be my last act as The Weeknd,” he emphasized.
As The Weeknd, he feels he has already expressed everything he could. The singer, born in Canada to Ethiopian parents, rose to fame in his early days on YouTube and established himself as one of the biggest names in music in the decade from 2010–2020, fusing pop and dark R&B.
Tesfaye will star in the upcoming HBO series “The Idol,” alongside Lily-Rose Depp, which will premiere next month. The series, produced and written by the singer himself in collaboration with Sam Levinson (“Euphoria”), tells the story of a pop diva who meets a cult guru after a nervous breakdown.
“The Idol” will premiere at the 76th Cannes Film Festival, which begins Tuesday. With this series and his declaration to abandon his stage name, Abel Tesfaye seeks to explore new facets of his career and leave behind the identity of The Weeknd.