The Weeknd has abandoned, at least for now, plans to retire the stage name and persona he had been considering phasing out since early 2025.by Paul CashmereThe Weeknd has reversed course on plans to retire his stage name, telling fans during a concert in Stockholm, Sweden, that he had effectively tested life without the persona and did not like the result. The possibility of retirement first became prominent in January 2025, when Tesfaye explained that he had begun questioning whether he still wanted to operate under a stage persona. He described The Weeknd as something that had become closely associated with the competitive pressures of contemporary pop music. His comments have instead centred on whether The Weeknd, as a character and artistic framework, had reached its natural conclusion. His Stockholm comments now suggest that the separation between Abel Tesfaye and The Weeknd may not be as imminent as previously contemplated.