The Weeknd announces he is now going by his birth name, Abel Tesfaye
The Weeknd changes his name TAMPA, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 07: The Weeknd performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show at Raymond James Stadium on February 07, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images /Getty Images)
By Debbie Lord, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Canadian pop star The Weeknd says he will no longer go by The Weeknd, instead reverting to his birth name, Abel Tesfaye, on his social media accounts.
The name change came after the Grammy-winning artist revealed to W Magazine that he wanted to “kill The Weeknd.”
“I’m going through a cathartic path right now,” he said. “It’s getting to a place and time where I’m getting ready to close The Weeknd chapter.”
“As the Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.”
Tesfaye, 33, became famous after he uploaded songs to YouTube in 2010 and Canadian rapper Drake posted them to his personal blog, launching his professional career.
Tesfaye said the end of The Weeknd has been coming over the past few months.
He told Variety that he cut short a concert in Los Angeles in September because he lost his voice and “forgot how to sing.”
“I don’t know what just happened… but I just lost my voice,” the singer told the crowd at the concert. “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. I’m gonna make sure everybody’s good — you’ll get your money back — I’ll do a show real soon for you guys. But I wanted to come out and personally apologize.”
“I had to take off the Weeknd outfit, put on Tedros’s (his character in “The Idol”) wig, shoot with Jocelyn, then go back to being the Weeknd,” the singer said. “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,” he added. “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.”
Photos: The Weeknd through the years Check out these memorable photos of Abel Tesfaye, best known as The Weeknd, through the years. (Rich Fury/Getty Images for dcp)
Photos: The Weeknd through the years 2012: Singer Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, performs onstage during day 3 of the 2012 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Field on April 15, 2012, in Indio, California. (Karl Walter/Getty Images for Coachella)
Photos: The Weeknd through the years 2013: The Weeknd attends the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards at the Barclays Center on August 25, 2013, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for MTV)
Photos: The Weeknd through the years 2014: Recording artists Ariana Grande (left) and The Weeknd perform onstage at the 2014 American Music Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 23, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Photos: The Weeknd through the years 2015: Recording artist The Weeknd, winner of Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album, poses in the press room during the 2015 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on November 22, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Photos: The Weeknd through the years 2016: Recording artist The Weeknd attends the 88th annual Academy Awards at Hollywood & Highland Center on February 28, 2016, in Hollywood, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Photos: The Weeknd through the years 2017: Selena Gomez and the Weeknd attend the "Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between" Costume Institute Gala at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 1, 2017, in New York City. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Photos: The Weeknd through the years 2018: Singer The Weeknd and model Bella Hadid attend Heidi Klum's 19th annual Halloween Party Sponsored by SVEDKA Vodka and Party City at Lavo NYC on October 31, 2018, in New York City. (Craig Barritt/Getty Images for SVEDKA Vodka)
Photos: The Weeknd through the years 2019: The Weeknd at the premiere of A24's "Uncut Gems" at The Dome at Arclight Hollywood on December 11, 2019, in Hollywood, California. (Jean Baptiste Lacroix/Getty Images)
Photos: The Weeknd through the years 2020: In this image released on November 22, The Weeknd speaks onstage for the 2020 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on November 22, 2020, in Los Angeles. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images for dcp)
Photos: The Weeknd through the years 2021: The Weeknd performs during the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show at Raymond James Stadium on February 7, 2021, in Tampa, Florida. (Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Photos: The Weeknd through the years 2021: The Weeknd attends the U.N. World Food Programme as it welcomes The Weeknd as a Goodwill Ambassador on October 7, 2021, in West Hollywood, California. (Rich Fury/Getty Images for U.N. World Food Programme)
Photos: The Weeknd through the years 2022: The Weeknd performs on the Coachella stage during the 2022 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival on April 24, 2022, in Indio, California. (Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Coachella)