The Weeknd is planning to retire his stage name after the release of his forthcoming album Hurry Up Tomorrow, but fear not – he will still continue to make music.
In a new interview with Variety published on Friday (January 10), the superstar singer admitted that ‘The Weeknd’ is more of a persona that he no longer identifies with.
“[I am closing the chapter] on my existence as the Weeknd,” he said. “It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I just don’t have any more desire for. I feel like it comes with so much… You have a persona, but then you have the competition of it all. 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.”
He noted that the 2022 moment when he lost his voice at his Los Angeles concert and had to reschedule just moments after the show began also played a role.
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“Part of me actually was thinking, ‘You lost your voice because it’s done; you said what you had to say. Don’t overstay at the party — you can end it now and live a happy life.’ You know? Put the bow on it: ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’? Now we’re here. When is the right time to leave, if not at your peak? Once you understand who I am too much, then it’s time to pivot.”
He’s clear that he’s not quitting music, though.
“I don’t think I can stop doing that,” he added. “But everything needs to feel like a challenge. And for me right now, The Weeknd, whatever that is, it’s been mastered. No one’s gonna do The Weeknd better than me, and I’m not gonna do it better than what it is right now. I think I’ve overcome every challenge as this persona, and that’s why I’m really excited about this film, because I love this challenge.
“But I just want to know what comes after,” he concluded. “I want to know what tomorrow looks like.”
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The singer has been hinting at the name retirement for some time.
Last May, Weeknd took to his Instagram Story where he quoted a fan page’s tweet about his live performance of his hit single “Save Your Tears” at the 2021 Billboard Awards. The TV hit saw him walking along a road while singing, as rows of cars came up behind him, parting ways right before they hit him.
“There was a lot of trust with those cars,” read the quote. “He didn’t seem nervous at all, which really weirded us out, because these cars were just barreling by him and he was calm, kept his composure, walked slow and just didn’t look back. It was kind of amazing.”
The Instagram Story post included a static shot from the performance, as well as the statement, “the end is near.”
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Fans at the time thought it could mean no more albums, but it looks to be just the stage name instead.
