The Weeknd Planning to ‘Kill’ His Stage Name

Abel Tesfaye might soon be the artist formerly known as The Weeknd. As he enters the next phase of his career in Hollywood with HBO’s The Idol, the “Blinding Lights” singer hinted that he wants to “kill” his stage name. Tesfaye, 33, plans to continue making music, but he might do so under a different monicker.

In a new interview with W Magazine, Tesfaye said he was on a “cathartic path” now. “It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter,” the singer said. “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 is working on a new album now, which will be released as The Weeknd when it is ready. It could be the end of a trilogy he began with After Hours in 2020 and continued with Dawn FM last year. Although visuals have always been an element of The Weeknd’s work, the music videos for these two albums became an important part of each artistic statement.

“The visuals are vital to my career,” Tesfaye told W Magazine. “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.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Tesfaye mentioned how difficult it was for him to switch between two roles, The Weeknd and his The Idol character, Tedros. He was still working on the show while finishing up his fall 2022 tour. Parts of his Sept. 2 show at SoFi Stadium were even filmed for The Idol, with co-star Lily-Rose Depp joining him onstage. “I had to take off the Weeknd outfit, put on Tedros’s wig, shoot with Jocelyn, then go back to being The Weeknd,” he explained. “It was tough to go from one head to another.”

During the Sept. 3 show, Tesfaye told the crowd he lost his voice and had to stop the performance. Fans were offered a refund, or they could hold on to their tickets for the rescheduled show. He returned to SoFi Stadium for performances on Nov. 26 and 27. Tesfaye believes he may have lost his voice because he forgot how to sing after playing Tedros.

“I may be looking too deeply into this, but it was terrifying,” he said. “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.”

Tesfaye created The Idol with Reza Fahim and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson. Tedros is a self-help guru who leads a cult. Depp plays Joselyn, an aspiring pop idol who begins a relationship with Tedros after a nervous breakdown forces her to cancel a tour. Amy Seimetz was the original director, but she left the show abruptly after about 80% was reportedly filmed. Levinson then took over as director and reshot much of the show. The series will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this month before its HBO premiere on June 4.