The Weeknd Is ‘Killing’ His Stage Name, Now Goes By Birth Name Abel Tesfaye

Award-winning musician Abel Tesfaye, known professionally as The Weeknd, has begun the process of slowly shedding his stage name. The singer has now changed his social media platforms to reflect his birth name.

“I’m going through a cathartic path right now,” Tesfaye told W magazine earlier this month. “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 said of his upcoming yet-to-be-titled record. “This is something that I have to do. As the Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.”

However, Tesfaye has been hinting at a name change and rebranding since April 2022. While chatting to some fans ahead of the release of his music video for “Out Of Time,” the Canadian singer and actor tweeted “you guys are hilarious. i feel like i should change my stage name to ABEL at this point lol.” He quickly followed up with another tweet, saying that he might “pull a YE and just legally change my name to ABEL. no last name. Like Madonna or Cher or Prince. I don’t know it seems like a lot.”

Tesfaye is set to make his TV debut alongside Lily-Rose Depp in the upcoming HBO drama The Idol, which he co-created with Euphoria creator Sam Levinson and Reza Fahim. He had previously made his film debut in Uncut Gems, where he played himself alongside Adam Sandler and Julia Fox.

The Idol is set to release on June 4.