The Weeknd is 'brainstorming' end of stage name
The Weeknd is "brainstorming" the end of his stage name.
The 'Blinding Lights' hitmaker - whose real name is Abel Tesfaye - has previously spoken about the desire to get rid of his persona and suggested his upcoming movie 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' would be his last project under the moniker, but he isn't quite ready to drop it yet because of his career commitments.
He told The Hollywood Reporter: 'We're brainstorming it right now. I feel like we don't have any definite answers, but I haven't dropped it yet because I'm on tour, so I've still gotta get out there and see the fans.'
The 35-year-old star also teased he is "getting there" in the process of ditching The Weeknd.
He told People magazine: "Have I started? Yeah, it's getting there.
"I mean, I'm on tour right now, so I can't fully retire it."
The Grammy-winning star was pressed on whether the idea has brought up any emotions.
He said: "Oh, I can't tell you too much."
The Weeknd finds the idea of being famous "weird".
He said: "I've always wanted my work to be famous. I don't know if I ever wanted to be famous, so that whole skill set I haven't really mastered and I don't plan to.
"It's a weird situation, but here we are."
The 'After Hours' hitmaker recently told how he knew it was time to quit his job in a clothing store when his colleagues were enjoying his music without realising he was behind it.
Speaking to Jenna Ortega in conversation for V magazine, he said: "I've been recording since I was about 14 or 15, but I didn't really blow up until my early 20s.
"But even then, you know, inspired by Daft Punk, I wanted the music to speak for itself, right? When I put music out, nobody knew what I looked like. I was just getting off the street, not quite homeless anymore.
"I had a day job at American Apparel, and people at my job were playing my music. I had put it out. So, people were playing my music and had no idea that I was standing and working right beside them. So that to me was the validation I needed to quit my job and focus on this 110%."
The 35-year-old musician is grateful he had the "luxury" of adjusting to success while remaining anonymous for some time.
He told Jenna: "Our experiences are a little different. When I was your age, I was able to hold on to being anonymous a little longer.
"My fans didn't really know what I looked like until maybe three projects in.
"So I was very calculated because I didn't want to get thrown in, and I wanted to experience life behind the camera. It was a luxury I was able to kind of carve out for myself.
"But you're able to handle it with so much grace. I mean, the only advice I can really give you is to stay close to the people who knew you before all this."
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