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CultureQuiet · 2d

The Weeknd Reverses Course, Says He'll Never Retire His Stage Name

After teasing retirement in 2023, Abel Tesfaye tells a Stockholm crowd he tried stepping away and hated it.

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yesterdaytodaynow · 9:06 PM

Summary, timeline and people extracted by Claude from 2 items across 2 sources · 22h ago. Quotes are verbatim.

During his 'After Hours Til Dawn Tour' stop in Stockholm on August 8, 2026, The Weeknd told fans he had 'tested retirement' but disliked how it felt, declaring he will 'never disappear.' The comments mark a reversal from 2023, when he suggested his 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' album could be his 'last hurrah' under The Weeknd persona, and the remarks quickly circulated across entertainment outlets and social media.

  • The Weeknd told a Stockholm concert crowd on Aug. 8, 2026 that he 'tested retirement' and didn't like how it felt.
  • The comments reverse his 2023 suggestion that his 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' era could be a 'last hurrah' for the Weeknd persona.
  • He had also floated performing under his birth name, Abel Tesfaye, but now says he'll continue as The Weeknd 'forever.'
  • Multiple entertainment outlets (Billboard, Yahoo, VICE, E! News, People) picked up the story from fan-captured concert footage.

How it unfolded

  1. Reaction People magazine recaps fan-captured footage

    People summarized fan video from the Aug. 8 concert shared on X, noting he 'tested' retiring the name but decided against it, and recapped the January 2025 origin of the retirement idea.

  2. Report Entertainment outlets pick up the story

    Billboard, Yahoo, VICE, E! News and others reported on the Stockholm comments, framing them as an about-face on earlier retirement talk.

  3. Event Stockholm concert remarks

    During his 'After Hours Til Dawn Tour' show in Stockholm, Sweden, The Weeknd told the crowd he tried retirement and didn't like it, vowing to keep performing under the moniker.

    “I’ll never disappear. I love this too much to ever disappear.”

    The Weeknd · r/Music ↗
  4. 83 weeks quiet
  5. Event Retirement plans first teased publicly

    Per later reporting, The Weeknd initially teased the idea of retiring his stage persona in January 2025.

  6. 104 weeks quiet
  7. Event Weeknd first teases retiring persona

    Ahead of his 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' album, Abel Tesfaye called it a potential 'last hurrah as The Weeknd' and said he was 'ready to close' that chapter, while floating performing under his birth name instead.

    “last hurrah as The Weeknd”

    The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye)

What people are saying verbatim

“I’ll never disappear. I love this too much to ever disappear.”

The Weeknd, R&B artist · thatgrapejuice.net ↗ · Aug 8

“I tested retirement a little bit, and I don’t like the way it feels. Imma be here forever with you.”

The Weeknd, R&B artist · thatgrapejuice.net ↗ · Aug 8

“ready to close”

The Weeknd, R&B artist · thatgrapejuice.net (2023 remarks cited) ↗

“last hurrah as The Weeknd”

The Weeknd, R&B artist · thatgrapejuice.net (2023 remarks cited) ↗