Why The Weeknd Is Destroying The Weeknd

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Why The Weeknd Is Destroying His Brand

Abel Tesfaye is destroying his most successful creation, yet he’s never been more alive. After fourteen years of building one of the most influential personas in contemporary music, the Ethiopian-Canadian superstar has announced his intention to retire “The Weeknd” after his latest album “Hurry Up Tomorrow.” This isn’t just a name change. It’s a cultural reclamation, a rejection of the competitive rat race that mainstream success demands, and perhaps the most significant transformation in modern R&B history.

The decision represents something profound about identity, authenticity, and what happens when immigrant artists achieve global success. Tesfaye has described feeling exhausted by what he calls the endless “rat race” of accolades, awards, and chart positions. But more than that, this transformation connects to his Ethiopian heritage in ways that go far deeper than marketing strategy. Songs like “Red Terror” on his final Weeknd album reference the violent Ethiopian political period his parents fled in the 1970s, while recent performances incorporate traditional Ethiopian elements like kaba robes and stage designs inspired by Lalibela’s ancient churches.

What makes this particularly striking is that Tesfaye is dismantling a brand worth hundreds of millions of dollars at the peak of its power. “Blinding Lights” became the longest-charting Billboard Hot 100 hit in history. He was the first artist to surpass 100 million monthly Spotify listeners. His trilogy of albums has sold over 75 million copies globally. Yet he’s walking away from all of it, telling Variety in early 2025: “I’ve said everything I can say as The Weeknd. I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually.”

The anonymous architect of dark R&B (Why The Weeknd)

Understanding why this matters requires going back to where it began. In December 2010, a mysterious figure uploaded three tracks to YouTube under the username “xoxxxoooxo.” No photos, no interviews, no personal information. Just the music of someone calling himself The Weeknd, with the ‘e’ removed to avoid copyright issues with a rock band.

Those early tracks from what would become the “House of Balloons” mixtape changed everything. This wasn’t the upbeat, EDM-influenced dance-pop dominating R&B at the time. This was something darker, more cinematic, built from samples of dream pop bands like Beach House and Cocteau Twins rather than traditional soul sources. Abel had created what critics would later call “alternative R&B” or “dark R&B,” and it sounded like nothing else in the genre.

The mystery amplified the music’s power. While contemporary artists overshared on social media, Abel remained completely anonymous for over two years. Rumors swirled about whether The Weeknd was even a single person. This wasn’t just marketing strategy but reflected his natural shyness and the themes of isolation that ran through his work. He was exploring hedonism, drug use, and toxic relationships with a vulnerability that traditional R&B masculinity rarely allowed.

The three mixtapes that followed in 2011 – “House of Balloons,” “Thursday,” and “Echoes of Silence” – were downloaded over 8 million times before he even signed to a major label. Critics called “House of Balloons” one of the best albums of 2011. Drake discovered his music and featured him on “Take Care.” By the time these mixtapes were compiled into “Trilogy” in 2012, Abel had fundamentally altered what R&B could sound like and say.

Working primarily with producers Doc McKinney and Illangelo, Abel crafted atmospheric soundscapes that felt more like horror movie scores than traditional R&B. His falsetto, influenced by Ethiopian singers like Aster Aweke, carried a characteristic tremulous quality that made even explicit lyrics sound elegant and pained. He was processing his experiences growing up in Toronto as the son of Ethiopian immigrants, dropped out of high school, living in a one-bedroom apartment he called the “House of Balloons” where he and his friends threw parties decorated with balloons to make them feel more celebratory.

The mainstream transformation (Why The Weeknd)

The transition from underground phenomenon to global superstar began with 2013’s “Kiss Land,” but the real breakthrough came with 2015’s “Beauty Behind the Madness.” This album marked Abel’s first number one debut and introduced him to mainstream audiences through massive hits like “Can’t Feel My Face” and “The Hills.”

“Can’t Feel My Face” was particularly brilliant because it maintained his core aesthetic while becoming undeniably radio-friendly. Written and produced by Max Martin, it had all the hallmarks of a perfect pop song but retained that underlying darkness that made The Weeknd distinctive. “The Hills,” named after David Lynch’s psychological horror films, showed he could dominate pop charts while staying true to his cinematic, unsettling vision.

2016’s “Starboy” pushed this evolution further, particularly through his collaboration with Daft Punk. The title track became both artists’ first number one hit and represented a complete visual and musical reinvention. The accompanying music video literally showed Abel destroying his previous persona, cutting off his signature dreadlocks and destroying his old aesthetic. This visual metaphor of destroying previous versions of himself to create something new would become a recurring theme, reaching its ultimate expression in his current decision to kill The Weeknd entirely.

The album incorporated new wave, disco, and electronic rock elements that expanded his palette far beyond R&B. Eighteen tracks featured collaborations with everyone from Kendrick Lamar to Lana Del Rey, showing how his influence had spread across genres. “Starboy” became his most commercially successful album, with over 21 million equivalent album sales.

After the brief return to darkness on 2018’s “My Dear Melancholy,” which processed his very public relationships with Bella Hadid and Selena Gomez, Abel reached his commercial peak with 2020’s “After Hours.” The album spawned “Blinding Lights,” a perfect fusion of 1980s synthwave and contemporary production that became the most-streamed song in Spotify history.

The Ethiopian awakening (Why The Weeknd)

But success brought exhaustion and a growing sense that he was trapped by his own creation. A pivotal moment came in September 2022 when Abel lost his voice during a performance at SoFi Stadium. He later told Variety: “Part of me actually was thinking, ‘You lost your voice because it’s done; you said what you had to say. Don’t overstay at the party—you can end it now and live a happy life.'”

That incident coincided with deeper reflection on his identity and heritage. His parents had fled Ethiopia during the Red Terror, a violent political period in the 1970s. Growing up, Abel spoke Amharic at home and was raised by his Ethiopian grandmother after his father left. But as The Weeknd became more successful, he felt increasingly disconnected from these roots, describing the experience as a form of cultural “whitewashing” that successful artists of color often face.

Recent performances have incorporated Ethiopian elements in unprecedented ways. He’s worn traditional kaba robes on stage, performed on sets designed to resemble Ethiopian architecture, and integrated Amharic singing into his shows. Songs like “Red Terror” on “Hurry Up Tomorrow” explicitly reference his family’s refugee experience, marking the first time he’s addressed this history so directly in his music.

This isn’t nostalgia but reclamation. Abel has described feeling like he needs to reconnect with the person he was before The Weeknd took over his life. “It becomes this rat race: more accolades, more success, more shows, more albums, more awards and more No. 1s. It never ends until you end it,” he told W Magazine.

The genre revolutionary (Why The Weeknd)

To understand the significance of this transformation, consider how completely Abel changed contemporary music during his decade and a half career. Before him, R&B was dominated by upbeat dance tracks and traditional romantic themes. His dark, atmospheric approach influenced an entire generation of artists including Bryson Tiller, PartyNextDoor, Tinashe, and Banks.

He pioneered the use of alternative rock samples in R&B, creating a template that countless artists still follow. His trilogy release strategy influenced how artists from Justin Timberlake to Beyoncé structure album rollouts. His mysterious persona showed that artists could build massive audiences without constant social media presence or traditional promotional campaigns.

Beyond R&B, Abel bridged alternative and mainstream culture in unprecedented ways. Indie rock critics embraced his work because of its Siouxsie and the Banshees samples and cinematic production. Hip-hop artists collaborated with him because of his association with Drake and his Toronto connections. Pop audiences discovered him through his Max Martin collaborations and Super Bowl halftime show.

His visual aesthetic has been equally influential. Music videos like “After Hours” and “Blinding Lights” created cinematic experiences inspired by directors like Martin Scorsese and Nicolas Winding Refn. His fashion sense, from the signature dreadlocks to red suits to Ethiopian traditional dress, has influenced visual culture far beyond music.

The business empire (Why The Weeknd)

What makes Abel’s decision to potentially abandon The Weeknd even more remarkable is the business empire he’s built around the name. His XO label has generated seven number one Billboard 200 debuts. His SALXCO management company handles over 20 artists including Doja Cat and French Montana. He was Universal Music Group’s biggest artist in 2020 and has earned an estimated $300 million throughout his career.

The Weeknd brand extends far beyond music into fashion collaborations with H&M and Puma, partnerships with Mercedes-Benz, and his HXOUSE facility that provides affordable studio space for young artists. He’s walking away from a multimedia empire at its peak power, suggesting this transformation goes far deeper than typical career pivots.

His influence on contemporary culture is immeasurable. He helped create the entire alternative R&B movement, influenced visual aesthetics across entertainment, and pioneered business models that other artists still follow. Rolling Stone ranked him among the greatest singers of all time, acknowledging his connection to Ethiopian musical traditions and his revolutionary impact on contemporary R&B.

The future of Abel Tesfaye (Why The Weeknd)

So what comes next? “Hurry Up Tomorrow” serves as both conclusion and beginning, completing his trilogy with “After Hours” and “Dawn FM” while opening space for whatever Abel Tesfaye creates next. The album incorporates Brazilian funk, trap, and acoustic elements alongside Ethiopian influences, suggesting his future work will be even more genre-fluid.

He’s already changed his social media handles to “Abel Tesfaye” across platforms, including Instagram where he has 79 million followers. This represents a significant shift for someone who previously maintained strict separation between his public persona and private identity.

The transformation reflects broader conversations about authenticity, cultural identity, and artistic evolution. By explicitly connecting to his Ethiopian heritage while maintaining his global platform, Abel is pioneering a path that allows artists to achieve mainstream success without abandoning their cultural identity.

Critics see parallels to Prince’s various name changes and reinventions, but this feels different. Prince was exploring artistic freedom and business control. Abel seems to be processing generational trauma while reclaiming cultural identity that mainstream success had obscured.

Whether he continues making music as Abel Tesfaye or eventually returns to The Weeknd, his legacy is already secure. He fundamentally altered contemporary R&B, influenced visual culture across entertainment, and built one of the most successful artistic empires of the streaming era. But perhaps more importantly, he’s shown that artists can evolve beyond their most successful creations, that cultural identity doesn’t have to be sacrificed for mainstream acceptance, and that sometimes the most radical act is destroying what you’ve built to discover who you really are.

The Weeknd may be ending, but Abel Tesfaye is just beginning. And that might be the most powerful transformation of all.

George Millington

Editor at Contact Me

George Millington is a music journalist and reviewer situated in central London. He does not write about a single genre but rather the commercial music industry as a whole. His first album was by The Beatles, which he purchased secondhand from a charity shop in his neighbourhood.

He discovered the gem when he was 12 years old and still has it now, claiming it to be why he fell in love with music. He likes to play disc golf when he's not writing about music. He is a one-of-a-kind individual who is always the first to bust out his air guitar on the dance-floor.

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