Canadian pop star The Weeknd has changed his social media accounts to display his birth name, Abel Tesfaye. The singer, known for hits like “Blinding Lights,” asked his fans on Twitter in April if he should make the change, and the tweet garnered over 100,000 likes.
The decision to revert to his birth name comes after The Weeknd expressed his desire to “kill The Weeknd” in an interview with W Magazine. He stated that he is going through a cathartic phase and getting ready to close the chapter on The Weeknd.
The artist previously explained that the name The Weeknd came about when he dropped out of school and left with his mattress, never returning home. However, he now feels that he has said everything he can say under that name and hinted that his next album might be his “last hurrah” using The Weeknd moniker.
Born in Toronto to Ethiopian immigrants, Abel Tesfaye gained fame after uploading his early songs to YouTube in 2010, showcasing a dark and explicit style of R&B that explored themes of drug use, casual sex, and alienation. His talent caught the attention of Canadian rapper Drake, who shared the demos on his blog, leading to the release of The Weeknd’s mixtape “House of Balloons.”
Throughout his music career, Abel Tesfaye has achieved tremendous success, winning four Grammy Awards, earning over 45 platinum singles and albums, and breaking numerous music records. In March 2023, he was officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the most popular artist in the world, boasting the highest number of monthly listeners on Spotify. As of March 2023, he had 111.4 million monthly listeners on the platform, surpassing all other artists, including Miley Cyrus, who held the second-place spot with 82.4 million monthly listeners.