The artist born Abel Tesfaye said in 2025 that he'd "mastered" his alter ego and needed a new challenge.
Like a professional boxer who just can’t quit the ring, Abel Tesfaye can’t cut The Weeknd short. The singer revealed over the weekend that he’s reconsidered plans he announced last year to retire his stage persona.
It becomes this rat race: more accolades, more success, more shows, more albums, more awards and more No. 1s. It never ends until you end it.” Related LA Jazz Festival Featuring John Legend & Janelle Monáe Canceled at Last Minute Joe Jonas Says He Sought Therapy After His Solo Album Underperformed Baker Boy Takes Album, Song and Film Clip of the Year at 2026 NIMAs Explore The Weeknd See latest videos, charts and news.
Tesfaye has been releasing music as The Weeknd since 2011, but last year when asked by Variety magazine to explain social media teasers for his then-upcoming Hurry Up Tomorrow album that read: “The Weeknd/ The End is Near/ 8 beautiful chapters in this story,” he said he was considering retiring the name after he wrapped up his already-on-the-books commitments.
But, over the weekend, during the kick-off of his run of three shows in Stockholm, the singer told. the crowd that he’s had a change of heart. “I’ll never disappear.
I love this too much to ever disappear. I tested retirement a little bit, and I don’t like the way it feels. I said, Imma be here forever with you, I’ll never disappear,” he said according to fan video, crooning the last two lines like a song.
To be fair, in the 2025 Variety interview, Tesfaye didn’t say he was retiring from music entirely, just that he was considering mothballing his long-held stage name/persona.
The singer who has branched out into acting and producing (The Idol, Uncut Gems), said at the time he didn’t think he could quit music entirely, but that he needed a change.
The idea to possibly wind down the enigmatic stage persona came after a rough performance at L. A.’s SoFi Stadium in 2022 where he lost his voice four songs in, which ended the show early.
A doctor visit showed nothing out of the ordinary, with the Weeknd suggesting that the issue was mental rather than physical.
The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn tour will continue on Monday night (Aug. 10) in Stockholm with the final show at Strawberry Arena before moving on to a five-night run at Wembley Stadium in London.
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Informação baseada em material público de Billboard, reescrito pela redação ULTRA NOTÍCIAS.
