The Weeknd changes name on social media after vowing to “kill” his alter-ego

nme.com:

The Weeknd has changed his name across social media, following comments that he wanted to “kill” his alter-ego.The Canadian pop star rolled out the new title on his social media platforms yesterday (May 15), and now goes by his birth name Abel Tesfaye, instead of The Weeknd.He first posed the idea to his fans and followers on Twitter last month (April 3), when he shared an update reading: “ABEL formally known as The Weeknd?”.

Currently, the tweet has over 124,000 likes and a substantial amount of replies, with fans sharing their thoughts on the change of name.The R&B singer also announced his intentions to switch names earlier this month, when he admitted that he wanted to “close The Weekend chapter”, and continue his creative endeavours under the new title.​​”I’m going through a cathartic path right now… It’s getting to a place and time where I’m getting ready to close The Weeknd chapter,” he told W Magazine. “The album I’m 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.”Born in Toronto to Ethiopian immigrants, Tesfaye first rose to fame after he uploaded his first songs to YouTube in 2010.

In 2011, he emerged with his acclaimed mixtapes ‘House Of Balloons’, ‘Thursday’ and ‘Echoes Of Silence’. These would go on to be collected as the now iconic ‘Trilogy’ set.