On May 8, 2023, Canadian Singer Abel Tesfaye, more popularly known as The Weeknd, announced his next album would be the last one under the pseudonym “The Weeknd,” marking a significant moment in pop culture.
The album will also be the end of the trilogy between previous albums, “After Hours” and “Dawn FM.” Tesfaye said he plans to release future music under his real name to embrace his personal growth and identity. However, the final album’s name and release date are currently unknown.
Tesfaye’s parents separated shortly after his birth, which greatly impacted his upbringing. He was raised by his mother and grandmother. Dropping out of high school at 17, Tesfaye partied frequently and struggled with substance abuse, homelessness and incarceration. He eventually found a job at an American Apparel store, where he subsequently began writing and recording music.
With the rise of YouTube in the late 2000s, Tesfaye was inspired to pursue a career in the music industry. In 2009, he started releasing his music anonymously on the streaming platform and eventually rose to fame in 2011 after co-founding his record label XO and releasing a series of three mixtapes. However, his debut album “House of Balloons” sparked international attention and increased his fanbase. The release of “Beauty Behind the Madness” in 2015 further skyrocketed The Weeknd’s career.
His career peaked in the late 2010s with the release of R&B essential, “Starboy,” followed by his classic, “My Dear Melancholy,” cementing his status as a pop phenom and R&B star.
In recent years, The Weeknd has been channeling older styles from the 1980s, bringing nostalgia to some of his older fans. This is best portrayed through “Blinding Lights” — his most streamed song on Spotify with over four billion streams — where listeners felt shades of 80’s synth styles. Throughout his 15 years as The Weeknd, Tesfaye’s music has captivated audiences all around the globe and revolutionized the music industry as we know it.
His unique fusion of different genres has reshaped the landscape of music. Because of this, many artists refer to The Weeknd as a key influence, incorporating his dark and synth-heavy production into their own work, his impact reaching far beyond his own discography.
Since his debut album, The Weeknd has won four Grammys, 20 Billboard music awards, while also performing at the 2021 Super Bowl.
From the moment The Weeknd’s early music hit the internet, fans were drawn to his mysterious allure and unfiltered emotion. Despite initial backlash against his anonymity and controversial lyrics, the Weeknd evolved and solidified his place in the industry as one of the best in this century.
As Tesfaye prepares to release music under his real name, fans are both nostalgic and curious about what his new chapter will bring.
“The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as the Weeknd,” Tesfaye said in an interview with W Magazine. “This is something that I have to do. As the Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.”
