The Weeknd Switches to His Birth Name on Social Media After Saying He'll Drop Stage Name

It looks like the end of an era for The Weeknd is here as the singer has revealed he's ready to hang up making music under his stage name. For W Magazine's third volume of The Pop Issue, published on May 8, the pop icon, aka Abel Tesfaye, reflected on his musical future as The Weeknd, telling the publication, "I'm going through a cathartic path right now. It's getting to a place and a time where I'm getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter."

In The Weeknd's joint cover story — which included his "The Idol" costar Lily Rose-Depp — he teased that he's currently working on a new album that's "probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd." "This is something that I have to do," he added of his decision. "As The Weeknd, I've said everything I can say."

He also clarified that he still plans to make music, "maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd," but he wants to "kill" his current persona as we know it. "And I will. Eventually. I'm definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn," he said.

Just a week later, The Weeknd seemed to be following through on his plans, switching his name on all of his social media profiles to Abel Tesfaye, including Instagram and Twitter.

After over a decade in the music industry, The Weeknd has cemented himself as one of today's biggest pop stars. From Grammy wins, record-breaking music strides, and an iconic Super Bowl halftime show performance to his nine musical projects and upcoming onscreen projects, which include HBO's "The Idol," The Weeknd has accomplished more than enough to warrant a new chapter in his career.

The Weeknd first emerged onto the music scene back in 2011 and later went on to collaborate with big names like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Daft Punk, Ariana Grande, and more. The last album he released was 2022's "Dawn FM." It's unclear when The Weeknd's next LP is dropping but he has revealed that he recorded new music for "The Idol," and even performed one of the show's songs at Coachella 2023 back in April.