The Weeknd is ready to retire his stage name and move into the next era.
The 34-year-old hitmaker says his upcoming album Hurry Up Tomorrow may be the last one in which he appears in the image that made him famous.
The artist, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, discussed his plans to retire his stage name upon completion of his current album trilogy, which began with 2020’s After Hours, continues with 2022’s Dawn FM, and will ends with “Hurry Up Tomorrow” on January 24, in a new Variety cover story released on Friday, January 10.
Tesfaye hinted in the interview that the final trilogy will mark the end of a more comprehensive chapter, clarifying that the chapter is about “my existence as a weekender.”
“It’s a headspace that I have to be in, but I don’t crave it anymore,” he said of his nickname. “You have your own personality, but you also have competition. It becomes a rat race: more accolades, more successes, more gigs, more albums, more awards and more No. 1 for more. It never ends until you end it.
Abel added that his decision was partly inspired by his headline-grabbing 2022 concert at SoFi Stadium, during which he lost his voice on stage and had to stop and cancel the concert. . “I actually thought, ‘You’ve lost your voice because it’s all over,'” he told the publication. “You said what you had to say. Don’t stay at the party too long – you can end it now and live a happy life… I just want to know what happens next.
The publication also reports: “The Hurry Up Tomorrow album contains plenty of the stylish chrome hooks that have characterized many of The Weeknd’s hits. But in a way he’s never really done before, it also includes a take on Other genres explored: classic R&B, pure pop, acoustic guitar, uptempo and an epic, pounding song, possibly the finale, reminiscent of Prince’s “Purple Rain.”
