The Weeknd has announced that it's time for a change... He doesn't want to be The Weeknd anymore. In a recent interview with <a href="https://www.wmagazine.com/culture/the-weeknd-lily-rose-depp-the-idol-hbo-interview" target="_blank" rel="noopener">W Magazine</a> for their Pop Issue, the 'Blinding Lights' musician - whose legal name is Abel Tesfaye - spoke candidly about why he feels it's time to get rid of his stage name. "I'm going through a cathartic path right now. 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," the 33-year-old revealed. While Tesfaye - who is starring alongside Lily Rose Depp in HBO's upcoming drama series The Idol - didn't provide specifics, he did reveal that he thought his upcoming record would be his last using the moniker, adding: "The album I'm working on now is probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd… This is something that I have to do. As the Weeknd, I've said everything I can say." <img class="wp-image-1263167936 size-full" src="https://img.vt.co/2022/09/weekndvoice.jpg" alt="" width="1535" height="800" />[[imagecaption|| The Weeknd - real name Abel Tesfaye - said in a recent interview he is hoping to drop his stage name. Credit: ZUMA Press, Inc. / Alamy]] The Weeknd has previously toyed with the idea of changing his name. In fact, last year he told fans on Twitter prior to the release of his 'Out of Time' music video: "You guys are hilarious. i feel like i should change my stage name to ABEL at this point lol." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/theweeknd/status/1510709066737192962]] He then added in a separate tweet: "Maybe pull a YE and just legally change my name to ABEL. no last name. Like Madonna or Cher or Prince. I don't know it seems like a lot." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/theweeknd/status/1510709844579262468]] If he does choose to go by Abel, he'll join a host of other celebrities who dropped their stage names in favor of something different - including Thandiwe Newton (whose stage name Thandie Newton was actually a misspelling), Blac Chyna who changed her name back to Angela White, and rapper Lil Xan reverting back to his legal name Diego. As we wait for what The Weeknd is set to decide, he previously suggested that his upcoming album is part of a trilogy. Whether this includes his 2020 album After Hours and 2022's Dawn FM is yet to be confirmed. <h6>Featured image credit: Sipa US / Alamy</h6>

The Weeknd announces he doesn't want to be The Weeknd anymore

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