In a recent interaction with his dedicated fan base, The Weeknd sparked curiosity by posting a question regarding a potential alteration of his social media name. Subsequently, the artist decided to make a significant decision to change his name across all his digital platforms, embracing his birth name, Abel Tesfaye.
With a single tweet that garnered over 100,000 likes, the four-time Grammy Award winner, wrote, “ABEL formally known as The Weeknd?” It seems evident that the singer has heeded the voices of his followers, and now he shows unwavering determination to fully embrace his birth name.
In an interview with W magazine , the artist revealed his intentions regarding his stage name. “I’m going through a cathartic path right now. It’s getting to a place and a time when I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter. I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd,” he said. “But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn.”
ABEL formally known as The Weeknd ?
— Abel Tesfaye (@theweeknd) April 3, 2022
The Weeknd is currently recording his sixth studio album and he confirmed it will probably be his “last hurrah” using the moniker. He added, “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.”
The interview was part of the promotion for his upcoming HBO show The Idol , where he stars alongside Lily-Rose Depp. The upcoming series has seen many delays and rewrites but is set to hit the screen on June 4.
Earlier this year, Rolling Stone called the show something which has “gone wildly, disgustingly off the rails.” The publication said that this may have been because of the unrealistic expectations of the producers. Rolling Stone also shared some quotes from insiders on the series who described it as “sexual torture porn.” “It was a show about a woman who was finding herself sexually, turned into a show about a man who gets to abuse this woman and she loves it,” one crew member told the outlet.
However, actors, The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp called out the publication and defended their director Sam Levinson. The actress told E! News , “Sam is, for so many reasons, the best director I have ever worked with. Never have I felt more supported or respected in a creative space, my input, and opinions more valued.”
Earlier this year, The Weeknd was also in the news for becoming the most popular artist in the world, according to Guinness World Records (GWR). In a statement, the organization stated on Twitter , “No one else even comes close. The Weeknd is the king of Spotify.”
