Abel Tesfaye will leave The Weeknd persona behind because it's "been mastered"

Like so many other artists these days, Abel Tesfaye has struggled with the extent of his own celebrity. “People get consumed, especially now, by the concept of being famous,” he told Variety in a new interview. “And I’m not good at being famous—I never will be. I’ve always been reserved.” 

Luckily, he’s always had a different, more confident persona he can slip on and off like a mask: The Weeknd. Now, that’s all ending. For months, the “Blinding Lights” singer has teased that his next album, Hurry Up Tomorrow (out January 24), will be his last under the Weeknd moniker. “It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I just don’t have any more desire for,” he explained. “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.”

His decision to do just that was largely set in motion by an incident at SoFi stadium in 2022, when the artist lost his voice in the middle of a song and was forced to cancel the rest of his show in front of 80,000 fans. “I was defeated on the world stage… with everyone watching,” he said of the moment, characterizing it as a “mental breakdown, which is pretty much what this new album’s about.” A visit with his doctor in the following days confirmed there was nothing physically wrong with him; now, he has a more philosophical explanation for the whole thing. “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?” he reflected. “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.”

Thankfully for fans, he’s not pivoting out of music entirely—although he does have a new film in the works to go along with the album. “I don’t think I can stop doing that,” he said of his music career. “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.” The movie—a suspense thriller starring Barry Keoghan and Jenna Ortega—is loosely based on some of the themes of the album. It’s currently slated for a May 16 premiere.

If you’re wondering about Tesfaye’s new chapter, even he doesn’t know. “I just want to know what comes after,” he said. “I want to know what tomorrow looks like.”