The Weeknd 'kills' his stage persona, announces new name
The Weeknd has changed his name on social media to Abel Tesfaye after stating that he planned to "kill" the stage name he has used since 2009 and be "reborn".
In an interview with W Magazine earlier this month, the singer revealed his intentions to get ride of his alter ego after one “last hurrah”.
“It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close The Weeknd chapter,” he said.
ABEL formally known as The Weeknd ?
— Abel Tesfaye (@theweeknd) April 3, 2022
“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.”
“The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd,” he said. “This is something that I have to do. As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.”
Last month he tweeted: "ABEL formally known as The Weeknd?" The post received more than 124,000 likes.
Earlier this year, Tesfaye was named the most popular artist in the world by Guinness World Records following an analysis of Spotify data. Despite a name change, it's clear this artist will remain on of the most influential on the planet for some time.
