Canadian pop star The Weeknd, known for his infectious pop tunes such as “Blinding Lights,” has made a significant change by reverting to his birth name, Abel Tesfaye, on his social media platforms.

In April, he turned to his fans on Twitter and sought their opinion on the matter, asking, “ABEL formally known as The Weeknd?” This tweet garnered substantial support, accumulating over one hundred thousand likes.

The decision to embrace his birth name comes after Abel Tesfaye expressed his desire to “kill The Weeknd” during an interview with W Magazine. He explained that as The Weeknd, he had exhausted everything he had to say. In fact, he hinted that his forthcoming album might be his final endeavor under that moniker, suggesting it could be his “last hurrah” as The Weeknd.

Abel Tesfaye’s journey to fame began in Toronto, where he was born to Ethiopian immigrants. In 2010, he uploaded his initial songs to YouTube, showcasing a unique brand of dark, explicit R&B that explored themes of drug use, casual sex, and isolation. His talent caught the attention of Canadian rapper Drake, who shared his early demos on his blog. This exposure allowed Tesfaye to create a nine-song mixtape titled “House of Balloons,” which he released as a free download.

Throughout his music career, Abel Tesfaye has achieved numerous accolades. He has won four Grammy Awards, attained over 45 platinum singles and albums, and broken numerous music records. In March 2023, he was officially recognized by the Guinness World Records as the most popular artist in the world, boasting the highest number of monthly listeners on Spotify. With 111.4 million monthly listeners as of March 2023, he became the first artist to surpass the milestone of 100 million monthly listeners on the streaming platform. Miley Cyrus, with 82.4 million monthly listeners, currently holds the second spot, trailing behind The Weeknd by almost 30 million listeners, according to Guinness World Records’ press release.