The Weeknd has doubled down and announced that he “isn’t going anywhere”.
Previously, the popstar (real name Abel Tesfaye) has contemplated plans to retire his stage name, explaining last year: “It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I just don’t have any more desire for”. He jokingly told fans he might pull a “YE” and change his name to “ABEL” and was “brainstorming” his nex move following the name drop – but he seemingly retracted his retirement plans last August, telling fans at a recent show that he will “never disappear”.
Now, The Weeknd has doubled down on his claims in a new interview with GQ Hong Kong. He reiterated that he was “not stepping away from anything”, but simply “hibernating”.
“My fans know I’ve shed my skin multiple times throughout my career,” he reasoned. “I was telling one story from 2020 until now, and that story has reached its conclusion. But that’s only the 2020 story.”
He did profess that “at one point I thought, ‘What if I just stopped?’ But then I realized what a waste all of that inspiration would be. I can’t let that happen.
“I had a glimpse of what retirement looks like, and it isn’t for me,” he concluded. “It’s a real privilege to do what I do. There’s nothing else like this job. The gratitude I’ve felt over the last year has been overwhelming. I’m going to keep doing this for as long as I possibly can. The Weeknd isn’t going anywhere.”
The Weeknd tells GQ Hong Kong he has no plans to retire:
“I had a glimpse of what retirement looks like, and it isn’t for me. It’s a real privilege to do what I do. There’s nothing else like this job. The gratitude I’ve felt over the last year has been overwhelming. I’m going to… pic.twitter.com/prNrV6QfDT
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 16, 2026
The Weeknd planned to retire his name following the last release of his trilogy, 2025’s ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’.
We gave the record a four-star review, writing: “If this is a swansong for The Weeknd, it’s a fitting one. Tesfaye is pushing forward before he exhausts the collective fascination with his alter ego, and that’s no small achievement. When he sings “I’d rather leave somewhat of a legacy” on ‘The Abyss’, it’s clear there’s no “somewhat” about it.”
Meanwhile, The Weeknd recently wrapped up a sold-out five-night run at Wembley Stadium – raising more than $350k for charity.
His final show at the stadium ended on August 19, along with two shows at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium in June.
The $350,000 raised from ticket sales went towards the United Nations World Food Programme and Global Citizen. £1 from each UK ticket sold was donated to the charities, as well as €1 from every ticket sold in Europe.
The money will support the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund, which aims to increase access to education for children around the world, as well as The Weeknd’s XO Humanitarian Fund, which supports the World Food Programme’s response to the global hunger crisis.
Elsewhere, the late Kavinsky once told NME how another collab with The Weeknd could have been on the way “soon”.