The weekend appears to be preparing to move on. On social media, the musician and now actor has changed his name to Abel Tesfaye, his birth name. He has kept his social media handles.
Tesfaye hasn’t said why he’s changed his name, but he’s been talking to the press about his new show, “The Idol,” which he co-created and starring in. His acting career appears to have had an impact. “I’m going through a cathartic path right now,” he explained to W Magazine. “I’m getting to the point and time where I’m ready to close the Weeknd chapter.” I’ll continue to make songs, perhaps as Abel, perhaps as The Weeknd. But I still want to assassinate The Weeknd. And I intend to do so. Eventually. I’m definitely attempting to shed that skin and rebirth.”
Although he is working on an album, he has stated that it may be his last as The Weeknd. “This is something that I have to do,” he explained. “As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.”
A post shared by Abel Tesfaye (@theweeknd)
“The Idol” begins on HBO Max on June 4th, following an aspiring pop idol (Lily Rose Depp) and her complicated relationship with a self-help guru and apparent cult leader (Tesfaye). While discussing the part, Tesfaye explained how difficult it was to go from singing to acting, and how he nearly lost his voice at one point.”I couldn’t speak. There was no voice at all. That has never occurred before. My belief is that I forgot how to sing since I was portraying Tedros, a character who is unable to sing. I could be reading too much into this, but it was horrifying.
Related: The Weekend Creates History When “Can’t Feel My Face” Turns Diamond
Tesfaye rose to stardom in 2010 after posting numerous songs on YouTube and the internet. He has four Grammys to his name and more than 45 platinum songs and albums to his credit.
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