The Weeknd announces name change, saying he ‘wants to kill’ his stage name

The Weeknd appears to be following through on his recently declared intention to return to his given name, Abel Tesfaye, after skyrocketing to fame under his widely recognized stage name. On Monday, the Canadian musician behind the smash “Blinding Lights” changed his screen name on Twitter and Instagram, although the handle on both remained @theweeknd.

The shakeup comes after Tesfaye stated in W Magazine that he wants “to kill The Weeknd.”

“I’m going through a cathartic path right now,” he said. “It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter.” He added, “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.”

He also informed the publication the album he is 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,” he stated.

Thirty-three year old Tesfaye will co-star with Lily-Rose Depp in the upcoming HBO series “The Idol,” which is set to premiere next month. After amassing a large following on YouTube more than a decade ago, the Canadian performer born to Ethiopian parents came to popularity on a type of dark R&B.

He went on to become the first artist to have more than 100 million monthly Spotify listeners.