Abel Tesfaye, also known as “The Weeknd,” plans to kill his music alter ego by retiring pretty soon.
The singer-songwriter and “The Idol” actor and co-creator revealed in a discussion interview that he plans to release new music to close his chapter as “The Weeknd” and might make new music using his real name.
“It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter,” he told the publication. “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.”
In previous statements, he has mentioned plans to release new music to cap off an album trilogy that includes 2020’s After Hours and 2022’s Dawn FM. But he did claim in the interview that the new album concludes the usage of the stage name.
“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,” he added
Tesfaye also claimed that it is tough for him to go ‘from one head to another’ as he balances the time of being ‘The Weeknd’ and acting as cult leader Tedros in the HBO musical drama “The Idol.”
“That’s never happened before,” he continued. “My theory is that I forgot how to sing because I was playing Tedros, a character who doesn’t know how to sing. I may be looking too deeply into this, but it was terrifying. 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.”
The W Magazine interview appeared as part of a cover story that also features a commentary from his co-star Lily Rose-Depp. “The Idol” faced several production delays and reshoots. Another reason for the delay is the sudden exit of original director Amy Seimetz. She was later replaced with “Euphoria” creator Sam Levinson.
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