The Weeknd Isn’t Going Anywhere After Reconsidering Retirement
Abel Tesfaye says he tested retirement and may use his real name as he moves into acting and other entertainment.
- On Saturday, August 8, The Weeknd told fans in Stockholm, Sweden, that he is abandoning plans to retire his stage name. He stated, "I love this too much to ever disappear."
- In a 2025 interview with Variety, Tesfaye explained he felt increasingly disconnected from the demanding persona, hinting his "After Hours" trilogy would conclude his career as The Weeknd.
- Momentum to end the persona grew after a difficult 2022 concert at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, where Tesfaye lost his voice. "This is killing me, I don't want to stop the show but I can't give you the concert I want to give you right now," he said.
- While remaining a visible music presence, Tesfaye continues expanding into acting and producing, with future projects potentially using his real name to explore different creative mediums more easily.
- Though fans feared "Hurry Up Tomorrow" might mark the end of an era, the singer appears ready to continue evolving. "I tested retirement a little bit, and I don't like the way it feels. Imma be here forever with you," he told the crowd.
23 Articles
23 Articles
The Weeknd Said He Was Retiring the Name. Now He Says He Tried It and Hated It
Last year, Abel Tesfaye seemed convinced it was time to move on. Ahead of the release of Hurry Up Tomorrow, he said he planned to retire The Weeknd moniker because he felt he’d outgrown the persona that had defined his career. “I’ve been playing this character for a long time,” he told Variety. “It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I just don’t have any more desire for. You have a persona, but then you have the competition of it all. It bec…
The 36-year-old Canadian singer's real name is Abel Tesfaye.
The Weeknd says he’s not changing his stage name as planned: ‘Imma be here forever with you’
The “Blinding Lights” singer had said that he wanted to drop his stage name.The Weeknd in Los Angeles in 2021Credit: Rich Fury/GettyKey PointsFootage of the Weeknd at his Stockholm concert over the weekend shows him hinting he doesn’t plan to change his name. The Weeknd — real name Abel Tesfaye —has said for years that would drop his moniker.He’s also teased that he wants to go by a single name like Prince or Madonna.The Weeknd is here to stay.W…
The Weeknd Reveals Why He Has No Plans to Retire His Iconic Stage Name Anytime Soon
It’s been over a year and a half since The Weeknd talked about retiring his stage name. The 36-year-old Grammy-winning […] The post The Weeknd Reveals Why He Has No Plans to Retire His Iconic Stage Name Anytime Soon appeared first on Just Jared - Celebrity News and Gossip
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