In a new interview with W Magazine, musician and actor Abel Tesfaye, better known by his moniker The Weeknd, hinted that his time inhabiting that particular pop star persona may be coming to a close.
via: Vibe
He hypothesized that the multiple headspaces led him to an identity crisis, which he feels was the reason for losing his voice.
“I had to take off the Weeknd outfit, put on Tedros’s wig, shoot with [Lily-Rose Depp], then go back to being The Weeknd. It was tough to go from one head to another. Then, after the concert, I lost my voice. No voice came out at all,” the crooner, née Abel Tesfaye, expressed.
“That’s never happened before. My theory is that I forgot how to sing because I was playing Tedros, a character who doesn’t know how to sing. I may be looking too deeply into this, but it was terrifying. As The Weeknd, I’ve never skipped a concert. I’ve performed with the flu. I’ll die on that stage. But there was something very complicated going on with my mind at that moment.”
The global superstar then elaborated on the complicated predicament, asserting that he wants to “kill” off his Weeknd persona.
“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. 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.”
The Weeknd’s upcoming HBO series, The Idol, is scheduled to premiere on June 4. Additionally, the show is set to appear at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Cannes delegate general Thierry Frémaux verified the appearance of the HBO original series at the competitive festival, Deadline reports.
Frémaux also said that Tesfaye, and his co-star, Depp, are set to make an appearance at the annual French event.
