Singer-actor The Weeknd reveals he is brainstorming new stage names

The Weeknd is “brainstorming” the end of his stage name. The Blinding Lights hitmaker, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, has previously expressed a desire to shed his music persona and hinted that his upcoming movie Hurry Up Tomorrow would be his last project under the moniker.

However, he isn’t quite ready to drop it yet due to his ongoing 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” when it comes to letting go of his persona as the The Weeknd.

In an interview with People magazine, The Weeknd said: “Have I started? Yeah, it’s getting there.”

“I mean, I’m on tour right now, so I can’t fully retire it.”

When asked if the idea has stirred any emotions, the Grammy-winning star remained tight-lipped and said: “Oh, I can’t tell you too much.”

The Weeknd also admitted that he finds the idea of being famous “weird”.

“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,” he said.

“It’s a weird situation, but here we are.”

The desire to let his music speak for itself and remain anonymous dates back to the early days of his career.

In a conversation with Jenna Ortega for V magazine, he recalled: “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 per cent,” he added.

The Canadian singer and songwriter is grateful he had the “luxury” of adjusting to success while remaining anonymous for some time.

Speaking to Ortega, he said: “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,” he added.

“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.”

Hurry Up Tomorow opens in Singapore cinemas on May 16 and also stars Jenna Ortega, Barry Keoghan and Gabby Barrett.

-Agencies