The Weeknd teams up with Mike Dean for four new songs

The Weeknd has responded to a Lady Gaga meme that has gone viral has he announced the change of his stage name.This week, the Canadian pop star – real name Abel Tesfaye – announced that he was retiring his stage name and will be known from now by his birth name. It came after he vowed to “kill” his alter-ego.Last month, he shared a tweet reading: “ABEL formally known as The Weeknd?” and this week (May 15) then changed his social media profiles to the name Abel Tesfaye.Since then, fans have been reacting to the news on social media, with one Lady Gaga meme dominating the conversation.In one tweet, a fan shared the caption: “The assistant in the record store when I ask if they have any Abel Tesfaye albums in stock,” alongside a video of Lady Gaga performing the song ‘Babylon’ live, in which she sings: “We only have the weekend.”Tesfaye shared his love for the meme, replying with the crying laughing emoji.

“chaos” on the set of his upcoming HBO series “The Idol” as “ridiculous” in a Vanity Fair interview published Tuesday.“I thought the article was ridiculous,” says the singer and actor, who now goes by his given name, Abel Tesfaye. He said he resented the magazine’s implication that “these are rapists trying to make a rape fantasy.”The Rolling Stone article relied on anonymous sources who described the Sam Levinson-directed series as  “sexual torture porn,” and as “any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show.” Vanity Fair’s Dan Adler has seen the first episode of the series which features Jocelyn, the singer played by Lily-Rose Depp, responding to a comment by her assistant Leia (Rachel Sennott) that Tedros (Tesfaye) is “so rape-y,” with, “Yeah, I kind of like that about him.” Leia then says, “Joc, no, gross. So disturbing.”Tesfaye told Vanity Fair that he has more in common with Depp’s character than his own: “Tedros is that superego that we as men wanna stay away from as much as possible.

The Weeknd is blasting Rolling Stone yet again.

The Weeknd is speaking out against criticism surrounding his upcoming HBO Max series,, addressing creative shakeups and a lengthy report alleging that production had «gone wildly, disgustingly off the rails.»The 33-year-old pop star-turned-series creator opens up in a profile for 's new issue, on newsstands May 30, responding candidly to a March article claiming that behind-the-scenes turmoil on the set included chaotic scheduling, going over budget and last-minute script changes and overhauls on graphically violent and sexual scenes.By his estimation, The Weeknd — whose birth name is Abel Tesfaye — now says he interpreted the report's subtext as, «These are rapists trying to make a rape fantasy.»At the time the allegations were first published, Tesfayeresponded by sharing a clip from the show in which his character deems «irrelevant.» «I thought the article was ridiculous,» Tesfaye tells. «I wanted to give a ridiculous response to it.»Meanwhile, Tesfaye remains unapologetic about the source material for the show.

The Weeknd is speaking out.

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.

Earlier this month (May 8), The Weeknd revealed he would be working on his final album under his stage name in this month's W Magazine cover story, hinting he was thinking of releasing music under a new moniker.

The Weeknd appears to be getting ready to move on. The musician and now actor has changed his name on social media to Abel Tesfaye, the name he was born with. He’s still retained his social media handles.Jenna Ortega and The Weeknd set to star in new film: Here’s everything we knowLily-Rose Depp reveals relationship with rapper Danielle BalbuenaA post shared by Abel Tesfaye (@theweeknd)Tesfaye hasn’t revealed why he’s made the change, but he’s been speaking to the press about his upcoming series, “The Idol,” which he co-created and co-stars.

A certain pop-star might be making rebranding himself. The Weeknd made a noticeable change on his social media which is causing fans to ask: Is The Weeknd retiring? 

The Weeknd was serious about saying goodbye to his stage name.

HBO series The Idol has revealed how The Weeknd – real name Abel Tesfaye – first pitched the idea of the show to him.Speaking to W Magazine, Levinson recalled: “Abel came to us with a pitch. He said something that I’ll always remember: ‘If I wanted to start a cult, I could.’ What he meant is that his fans were so loyal and devoted that they would follow him anywhere.

Charna Flam Ahead of the Cannes Film Festival debut and summer premiere of Sam Levinson’s upcoming drama series “The Idol,” the director offered some insight on how the HBO production was conceived. The “Euphoria” showrunner explained how the series lead, Abel Tesfaye, also known as The Weeknd, pitched the premise. “Abel came to us with a pitch,” Levinson told W Magazine. “He said something that I’ll always remember: ‘If I wanted to start a cult, I could.’” “What he meant is that his fans were so loyal and devoted that they would follow him anywhere,” Levinson continued. “That was the germ of the idea for ‘The Idol’: what happens when a pop star falls for the wrong guy and no one speaks up.”

The Weeknd is bidding to purchase NHL team the Ottawa Senators, according to the Ottawa Sun and Star. It is reported that Abel Tesfaye is part of a group, alongside Jeffrey and Michael Kimel of the Harlo Capital Group, seeking to gain a controlling stake in the company.

The Weeknd has recently said that he wants to get rid of his alter-ego, saying that he ” wants to kill The Weeknd.”In a recent interview with W Magazine alongside his The Idol co-star Lily-Rose Depp, The Weeknd made it known that he wants to continue with his creative endeavours, only under his real name, Abel Tesfaye.The Canadian singer told the interviewer that he’s on “a cathartic path right now” and is “getting to a place and a time where [he’s] getting ready to close The Weeknd chapter”.While he might be moving to switch between his moniker and his real name, he’ll eventually “try to shed that skin and be reborn.”Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd cover the latest issue of W Magazine pic.twitter.com/r2OayOVI7L— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) May 8, 2023Speaking about his new music, he said: “The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as the Weeknd. This is something that I have to do.

The Weeknd as the world knows him — could be coming to an end!In the latest edition of, the singer — whose real name is Abel Tesfaye — hints that his run as his longtime stage persona could be coming to an end.«I’m going through a cathartic path right now,” the „Starboy“ musician says inside of the magazine. „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.

Goodbye Weeknd, hello Abel.

The Weeknd has addressed the production troubles on his upcoming HBO series The Idol, describing the show’s overhaul as a “challenge”.Set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival later this month, The Idol follows aspiring pop singer Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp) who falls into a complex relationship with self-help guru and cult leader Tedros (Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd).The series, created by Tesfaye, Reza Fahim and Euphoria’s Sam Levinson, underwent an overhaul in April 2022 after a rough-cut was completed. This led to various changes in the cast and crew, including the departure of director Amy Seimetz.According to an interview with Tesfaye and Levinson with W Magazine, the singer was concerned the dynamic between his cult figure character and Jocelyn in the original cut was “not as complex” as they had envisioned, which led to a “pivot”.“Film and TV is a new creative muscle for me,” Tesfaye told the outlet. “I don’t release my music until I think it is great.

The Weeknd is going for the hat trick.

Abel Tesfaye, otherwise known as The Weeknd, and Lily-Rose Depp are speaking out.

The Weeknd has said he didn’t think he was “marketable” when he first began his music career.The artist, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, was talking to Interview magazine about his reasons for hiding his identity when he first began releasing music on YouTube back in 2010.“I wanted to be very calculated about how I wanted people to see me or hear my music. The initial reason I did that was I didn’t think I was marketable when I was younger, especially for R&B. I didn’t think I had the right look,” he explained.“The R&B look was very sexual back in the day.