The Weeknd has seemingly reversed his plans to “retire” his stage name.
During his The After Hours til Dawn Tour concert in Stockholm, Sweden over the weekend, the Canadian singer-songwriter – real name Abel Tesfaye – told the crowd that he still wanted to be known as The Weeknd.
“I’ll never disappear. I love this too much to ever disappear,” he said on Saturday night, according to fan footage posted on social media. “I tested retirement a little bit, and I don’t like the way it feels. Imma be here forever with you.”
Representatives for the Can’t Feel My Face hitmaker have not yet responded to the update.
In an interview for Variety published in January 2025, The Weeknd announced that he was considering “closing this chapter”.
“It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I just don’t have any more desire for,” the 36-year-old reflected of his onstage persona. “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.”
However, The Weeknd insisted he wouldn’t be quitting the music industry entirely.
“I don’t think I can stop doing that,” he stated. “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.”
The Weeknd is next set to perform at Wembley Stadium in London on Friday.
The Die for You singer unveiled his sixth studio album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, in early 2025.
