The Weeknd Opens Up to Fans, Eyeing New Era

As The Weeknd fully immerses himself in the current Hurry Up Tomorrow era, he acknowledges that this marks the end of an even greater chapter — the end of The Weeknd.

Ahead of the album’s release earlier this year, The Weeknd, born Abel Tesfaye, announced plans to retire his stage name and persona. In a recent interview with The New York Times, the R&B singer discussed this new change, the album’s accompanying film, Hurry Up Tomorrow, and reflected on some older, less well-received projects, namely, The Idol.

Early Beginnings

In the early 2000s, the singer released a number of mixtapes on SoundCloud under the alias after dropping out of high school and leaving home at 17. But it wasn’t until 2009, while working at American Apparel in Ontario, Canada, that he heard someone listening to one of his songs.

“Somebody was playing the song I recorded and enjoying it. That was all the validation I needed to just drop everything and focus 110 percent on this thing,” he stated.

In 2011, he was featured on Drake’s critically acclaimed album Take Care, and one year later, partnered with Republic Records to create his own label, XO. From there, he released Trilogy, a re-recorded collection of the three mixtapes House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence.

the genesis pic.twitter.com/83gimAyt8t

— Abel Tesfaye (@theweeknd) March 21, 2025

Hurry Up Tomorrow: One Last Ride

Since then, he’s released a slew of albums, including the commercially successful After Hours, and is now preparing for one final project as The Weeknd. Enter Hurry Up Tomorrow, his new film premiering this Friday. The film dives deep into the psyche of the singer after he loses his voice onstage, reflecting a real-life incident at his 2022 SoFi Stadium concert. While there was some physical damage to his vocal cords, most of the injury was psychological.

He revealed, “My voice failing me, or me failing my voice — however you want to look at it — I really felt like I went up there and my body was telling me to sit down. It was telling me, ‘You have nothing else to say.’”

He calls the film “a love letter” to his fans. Most XO fans have been on this ride since the early days of Trilogy, Kiss Land, and Beauty Behind the Madness, and while many are excited for this new direction, it’s not lost on the singer that not everyone may be on board.

“I might lose people because they just might not care,” the artist shared.

The Idol Sees Major Controversy

However, this wouldn’t be the first time he’s been at the center of controversy. In 2023, he co-created and co-starred in the MAX limited series The Idol. Working alongside Lily-Rose Depp and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, the series received less-than-stellar reviews for its hypersexual, dark, fantasy-esque nature.

“Look, being judged, shame — it’s not fun. But if you open yourself up, you have to expect it… Failure is the best school,” he stated.

Retiring The Weeknd

As fans nationwide prepare for one last stint as The Weeknd, it’s more than a farewell to a stage name — it’s the closing chapter of a cultural era defined by haunting falsettos, cinematic ambition, and emotional vulnerability. Whatever name he embraces next, one thing is certain: Abel Tesfaye has already left an indelible mark on music history

You can get your tickets for Hurry Up Tomorrow here.