It may not be the end of the road for The Weeknd.
In January, the singer/songwriter Abel Tesfaye, 35, stated in an interview with Variety that he intended to retire his moniker of more than 15 years after releasing his sixth album and upcoming movie of the same name, “Hurry Up Tomorrow.” The album concludes a trilogy of releases, consisting of 2020’s “After Hours” and 2022’s “Dawn FM.”
The album and film “Hurry Up Tomorrow ” are inspired by the scary moment when Tesfaye lost his voice while performing at SoFi Stadium in California in 2022. Notably, Tesfaye also stated he felt no longer connected to his stage name.
However, the singer left the door open for a possible return in a conversation with EW ahead of Friday’s film release.
“It feels like it [the end of the Weeknd]. I mean, I’ve kind of toyed with the idea in the past with albums,” the singer stated. “But it could also just be a rebirth. Who knows?”
The singer also hinted at a “rebirth” in a 2023 interview with W Magazine, when he was promoting his since-canceled HBO show, “The Idol.”
“I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd," the singer stated.” But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn.”
The Weeknd headlines MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford June 5 to 7.
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Murjani Rawls may be reached at mrawls@njadvancemedia.com