The Weeknd is preparing for a significant transformation. As the release of his new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, approaches, the 34-year-old artist has announced it will likely be his final project under the persona that launched his career.
In a cover story published Friday by Variety (Jan. 10), the artist—born Abel Tesfaye—revealed his plans to retire the Weeknd moniker after completing his current album trilogy. The trilogy began with 2020’s After Hours, continued with 2022’s Dawn FM, and will conclude on Jan. 24 with Hurry Up Tomorrow.
The first installment of the trilogy, After Hours, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and featured the record-breaking hit “Blinding Lights.” The track spent four weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, remained in the Hot 100’s top 10 for a record 57 weeks, and was recently named the No. 1 song on Billboard’s Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century chart.
Tesfaye hinted that the final album represents a broader conclusion. “The chapter in question is my existence as the Weeknd,” he said in the interview.
“It’s a headspace I’ve got to get into that I just don’t have any more desire for,” Tesfaye explained. “You have a persona, but then you have the competition of it all. It becomes this rat race: more accolades, more success, more shows, more albums, more awards, and more No. 1s. It never ends until you end it.”
In late December, Tesfaye hinted at the shift when billboards reading “The End Is Near” appeared in cities worldwide. He also told W Magazine in May 2023 that he was preparing to “close the Weeknd chapter,” adding, “I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd.”
Despite the change, Tesfaye assured Variety that he plans to continue making music. “I don’t think I can stop doing that,” he said. “But everything needs to feel like a challenge. And for me right now, the Weeknd, whatever that is, it’s been mastered. No one’s gonna do the Weeknd better than me, and I’m not gonna do it better than what it is right now.”
Tesfaye also cited his 2022 concert at SoFi Stadium—where he had to stop mid-performance due to losing his voice—as a moment of reflection. “Part of me actually was thinking, ‘You lost your voice because it’s done,’” he told the publication. “You said what you had to say. Don’t overstay at the party—you can end it now and live a happy life. … I just want to know what comes after.”
