Some know him as The Weeknd, some know him as Abel Tesfaye and others know him as the person who kickstarted Lana Del Rey‘s career. However, we may soon be introduced to a new moniker from our favourite creator of woozy, sultry bangers that wouldn’t go astray blasting in an empty strip club at 3am.
In an interview with W Magazine to promote his upcoming television series The Idol (starring himself and Lily-Rose Depp), The Weeknd revealed he will soon be retiring his popular name.
“The visuals are vital to my career,” he said.
“The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd.
“This is something that I have to do. As the Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.”
Sure, he may feel as if “The Weeknd” as a name has run its course, but it’s a damn iconic name.
While reflecting on the night he lost his voice mid-concert at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium in September, he revealed his feelings towards his upcoming show The Idol, including how he’s pretty much at peace if the show majorly flops.
“My secret skill is that I don’t panic,” he said.
“When everyone around me is worried, I get very still. But I did panic when I lost my voice.
“I had to rest and reflect and think about The Weeknd and Tedros [his character in The Idol] and all that had happened with the show.
“I realised that I need to know that I’ve made the best version of whatever I’m making. It was a challenge to redo The Idol, and, in truth, I sacrificed my health and home to make it work.”
I applaud The Weeknd for going to such lengths for this show but I personally would not sacrifice my health for entertainment.
“So, let’s say it comes out and it’s fucking horrible. I still know I did my absolute best,” he continued.
“From what I’ve seen, the show is great. Everything is a risk: When you’ve done the best you can, I would call that a happy ending. And I got my voice back.”
It’s reassuring to know that The Weeknd is ready for good and bad criticism of his show. I just hope he isn’t so invested in it that he loses all sense of reality. I mean, there was that moment in March where he and Lily-Rose Depp defended the show from claims of alleged on-set toxicity.
Unfortunately for us, this is their baby and they’ll defend it to the end. Only time will tell if the show is actually good.
