The Weeknd Reveals Plan To Retire His Stage Name

Abel Tesfaye, known as The Weeknd, revealed that he has plans to retire his stage name.

The “Blinding Lights” singer dropped the bombshell today (May 8) during an interview with W Magazine, alongside Lily-Rose Depp, to discuss their upcoming musical drama series “The Idol.” He revealed that he went through an identity crisis while juggling from his acting career to his musical career.

“I had to take off The Weeknd outfit, put on Tedros’s wig, shoot with [Lily-Rose Depp], then go back to being The Weeknd,” he told the publication. “It was tough to go from one head to another. Then, after the concert, I lost my voice. No voice came out at all. That’s never happened before.”

“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.”

“I’m going through a cathartic path right now,” Tesfaye continued. “It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter. 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 explained. “This is something that I have to do. As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.” The 33-year-old will make his debut as an actor and executive producer with “The Idol.” The new HBO series is set to premiere on June 4.