You’ve heard the voice. It’s that haunting, glass-shattering falsetto that soundtracked every late-night drive and messy breakup since 2011. But if you’re still calling him "The Weeknd" in 2026, you’re kinda missing the point of where his career just landed.
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye. That is the name.
It’s not just a trivia answer for a pub quiz. It is the identity of a guy who spent fifteen years hiding behind a persona of bandages, red suits, and "Starboy" aesthetics. Recently, the man himself basically decided to kill off the character that made him a billionaire. He’s shedding the skin. He’s going back to Abel.
Honestly, the transition hasn’t been some quiet corporate rebrand. It’s been a public, almost spiritual shedding of a moniker that started as a teenager's act of rebellion.
Why the Weeknds Real Name Actually Matters Now
For a long time, the name was a shield. When Abel first started uploading tracks to YouTube back in 2010—mysterious, dark R&B stuff like "What You Need"—nobody knew what he looked like. There were no press photos. No interviews. Just the name "The Weeknd" and that grainy House of Balloons artwork.
He wasn't trying to be mysterious to be cool. He was just insecure. He hated his name. He thought it wasn't "marketable" or whatever.
But look at the charts today. In 2025 and 2026, he’s been progressively phasing out the stage name on social media and film credits. Why? Because you can only play a character for so long before the character starts playing you. He told W Magazine a while back that he wanted to "kill The Weeknd" to be reborn.
That’s pretty heavy for a guy who once sang about "Can’t Feel My Face."
The Meaning Behind Abel Makkonen Tesfaye
If you look into the roots, the name is actually beautiful. His parents, Makkonen and Samra, moved to Canada from Ethiopia in the 1980s.
- Abel: It’s Hebrew for "breath" or "vapor."
- Tesfaye: In Amharic, the liturgical language of Ethiopia, it translates to "my hope."
Think about that for a second. The guy who spent a decade singing about the darkest, most nihilistic corners of partying and addiction is literally named "Breath of Hope."
He grew up in Scarborough, a suburb of Toronto. His dad wasn't really around. He was raised by his mom and grandmother, and his first language wasn't even English. It was Amharic. You can actually hear those East African vocal runs buried deep in his melodies if you listen closely enough.
The Messy Story of the Missing "E"
Everyone asks why it’s spelled "The Weeknd" and not "The Weekend."
The "official" story he tells is that he dropped out of high school at 17, convinced his friend La Mar Taylor to do the same, grabbed their mattresses, and "left one weekend and never came home." It sounds like a movie scene.
The real, boring legal reason? Copyright.
There was already a Canadian pop-rock band called The Weekend. If he wanted to keep the name without getting sued into oblivion before his first tour, that "e" had to go. It was a happy accident. That typo became one of the most recognizable brands in the history of music.
The Identity Crisis of 2023-2025
Something shifted around the time he filmed The Idol. Whether you liked the show or not (and most people... didn't), it changed him. He spoke about how hard it was to jump from playing a character like Tedros to being "The Weeknd" on stage at SoFi Stadium.
He actually lost his voice during a show because of the mental toll. He felt like he didn't know who he was supposed to be.
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"I’m going through a cathartic path right now. It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close The Weeknd chapter." — Abel Tesfaye
By the time his 2025 album Hurry Up Tomorrow arrived, the writing was on the wall. The credits didn't just say "The Weeknd." They screamed Abel Tesfaye. He’s been using his birth name for his acting roles in psychological thrillers and his work with Jenna Ortega. It’s a pivot from "Pop Star" to "Artist."
What This Means for the Music
Does this mean the music stops? No.
But it means the vibe has shifted. The Weeknd was a character of excess. Abel Tesfaye is a 35-year-old man who wants to talk about legacy, his Ethiopian roots, and maybe a bit of peace.
If you’re looking to follow the "new" era, here is how to navigate it:
- Check the Socials: He already flipped his handles to his real name. If you’re searching for "The Weeknd" on new projects, you might miss them.
- Film Credits: Look for "Tesfaye" in the production and acting credits. He’s moving heavily into cinema.
- The Sound: Expect more of that "Amharic" influence he’s been teasing. He’s donated hundreds of thousands to Ethiopic studies and is clearly leaning into his heritage.
It’s rare to see a superstar at the absolute peak of their powers—literally the most streamed artist on the planet—say "I'm done with this name." It takes guts. It’s like if David Bowie decided to just be David Jones right after Ziggy Stardust hit #1.
So, next time you’re debating his best album, maybe refer to him as Abel. It’s the name he’s finally proud of.
To stay current with his transition into film and his latest creative projects, you should follow his official social media updates under his birth name, as he has largely moved away from the "XO" branding for his personal identity. Check out his recent interviews in Variety or Billboard from early 2026 for more on his upcoming film scores.