The artist born Abel Tesfaye has been teasing the end of his run as The Weeknd for some time now. His last few albums have all slowly seen him wax away the hardened heartthrob for good, a far cry from his House of Balloons era. Additionally, he’s been slowly transitioning towards acting and other forms of entertainment. But now, after spending years on tour, it seems like he’s softened his stance on retiring significantly.
During a recent concert, the Toronto crooner admitted that, after trying retirement, he realized that he doesn’t want his persona to die out. “I’ll never disappear. I love this too much to ever disappear. I tested retirement a little bit, and I don’t like the way it feels. Imma be here forever with you,” The Weeknd said.
This comes on the heels of the multi-hyphenate teasing that he would be done with The Weeknd in 2025. He did make it extremely clear to Variety that he could never quit music altogether. However, he did find that it might be better to go by another moniker or just by his real name in the future. Moreover, going by his real name would allow him to branch out into different creative mediums more easily.
The Weeknd Isn’t Going To Retire His Cold-Hearted Persona Anymore
“I don’t think I can stop doing that,” he told the publication. “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. I want to know what tomorrow looks like.”
This epiphany initially started because of a rocky performance at SoFi Stadium. Losing his voice made him realize that he never wanted to overstay his welcome as The Weeknd. There’s never a right accomplishment to go out on. “It never ends until you end it,” he argued.
“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,” The Weeknd continued.
(Photo by Pedro Becerra/Getty Images for Live Nation)
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