“It’s one thing I just have to do. I have nothing more to say as The Weeknd,” the Canadian explained in an interview.
Guys, hold on tight: The Weeknd might soon no longer exist like this. Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, as the singer and songwriter’s real name is, has been releasing his music under the stage name The Weeknd since 2009 – but now the Canadian seems to have had enough of it. in one Interview with “W Magazine” The 33-year-old revealed his next record will be The Weeknd’s farewell song. He explains: “It’s one thing I just have to do. I have nothing more to say as The Weeknd.” So that nobody has to worry, Tesfaye also makes it clear in the conversation that he will continue to make music, just under a different pseudonym.
But then what? In the interview, the musician focuses not only on the information about the name change, but above all on his drama series “The Idol”, which will be released on June 5 (comes in Germany via Wow), in which Tesfaye appears on the one hand as creator and on the other hand with Lily- Rose Depp stars. In conversation, he emphasizes that film and television are new creative passions of his.
Perfection is important to him: “I only release my music when it’s perfect. Why should it be any different here?” In doing so, he positions himself in relation to the negative headlines that Sam Levinson’s (“Euphoria”) series received even before it was published. The American “Rolling Stone” wrote, for example, that “The Idol” took a wrong turn during production and eventually degenerated into “depraved torture porn.” Tesfaye has so far only commented cryptically on allegations via Twitter: “Have we upset you?” He only asked there.
Up and Down in the Production of “The Idol”
Original director Amy Seimetz left in April 2022 and was replaced by Sam Levinson. By then, several episodes had already been filmed. In addition, the network HBO, which airs the show in the US, issued a statement saying that “the initial approach to the series and the production of the first few episodes […] sadly didn’t meet HBO standards,” which is why some changes are being made and the start date is being pushed back.
The current studio album DAWN FM by The Weeknd was released in 2022. Lately he has been giving frequent insights into his unreleased music projects. Among other things, a collaboration with rap star Future and a cover of John Legend’s “Jealous Guy” are planned.