Since the beginning of 2020, The Weeknd has had a No. 1 and No. 2 album on the Billboard 200 chart, three No. 1 hits on the Hot 100, and a stellar Super Bowl Halftime performance. But, even with all this success, he says he’s still considering moving on from his musical endeavors as “The Weeknd.”
Videos by American Songwriter
“I’m going through a cathartic path right now,” the singer whose legal name is Abel Tesfaye said in a recent interview. “It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter. I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn.”
In terms of what a rebirth would look like, perhaps Tesfaye could begin to transition more into film, television, and entertainment. In June, his HBO series The Idol will debut, which sees him serve as the creator, executive producer, and star alongside Lily Rose-Depp.
Tesfaye put out the lead single for The Idol‘s soundtrack last month, titled “Double Fantasy” featuring Future, which sees him deliver stunning vocals over a pristinely mixed instrumental from Mike Dean. As of now, he is still working on new music, and he even revealed that he has another album as The Weeknd on the way. But, it could be his last under his famed moniker.
“The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd,” he continued. “This is something that I have to do. As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.”
Currently, Tesfaye’s upcoming LP aside from The Idol soundtrack has not been given a title or release. What would be his sixth and final studio album, it will surely be intriguing to see what subject matter and stylistic choices Tesfaye could employ for his farewell project.
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Live Nation
