The Weeknd has shared that he is considering retiring his alter ego and going by his real name.
The Weeknd has teased that his sixth album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, may be the last that he releases under his stage name.
The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, revealed in an interview with Variety magazine, that he is considering “closing this chapter”.
When pressed as to what chapter that meant, he explained: “I would say my existence as the Weeknd. It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I just don’t have any more desire for. I feel like it comes with so much. You have a persona, but then you have the competition of it all. It becomes this rat race: more accolades, more success, more shows, more albums, more awards. It never ends until you end it.”
Tesfaye further detailed how his thinking came in part from an onstage incident at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles during his After Hours Til Dawn tour in 2022. His voice starting breaking at the beginning of his show and he had to offer the audience refunds and promise a rescheduled date.
“Part of me was thinking, ‘You lost your voice because it’s done; you said what you had to say. Don’t overstay at the party – you can end it now and live a happy life.’ When is the right time to leave, if not at your peak?”
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