New Delhi: Canadian artist The Weeknd officially changed his identity back to Abel Tesfaye and said goodbye to his previous stage name. Tesfaye had long been teasing the possibility of changing his name from The Weeknd, and the announcement of the name change just recently came.
According to BBC, the 33-year-old musician, who is known for his peppy songs like 'Blinding Lights', asked fans on Twitter if he should make a change. In a tweet, he posed the question, "ABEL formally known as The Weeknd?". The artist has yet to officially address his move, but his recent acts and remarks speak for themselves.
In an interview with W Magazine, he said that he wanted to "kill The Weeknd," signifying the healing road he is currently taking.
"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. I'll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I'm definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn."
Tesfaye went on to say that his upcoming album may be his "last hurrah as The Weeknd."
"This is something that I have to do. As The Weeknd, I've said everything I can say," he said.
In order to rebuild his artistic identity, Abel Tesfaye seeks fresh creative opportunities. Fans quickly responded to the news on social media, with mixed emotions.
According to Guinness World Records (GWR), the musician attained the title of the most popular artist in the world earlier this year. the organisation stated that the singer-songwriter is "statistically the most popular musician on the planet" in a statement. Meanwhile, in the eagerly anticipated HBO series 'The Idol', he will co-star with Lily-Rose Depp.