Stage names or pseudo names have long been paired with famous artists. Musicians have a long history of creating/having a stage name. Some play it safe while others aren’t afraid to step outside the box. For example, Lady Gaga, PARTYNEXTDOOR and of course, The Weeknd.
The singer has gained popularity and has been on the rise since the early 2010s. From being an opening act for Drake to preparing for his Super Bowl LV halftime show, The Weeknd has truly wowed us.
That being said, his stage name does spark a lot of curiosity. Fortunately, The Weeknd has an answer for you. Way back The Weeknd took to social media to answer a few questions. He talked about his stage name’s origin, and about his Ethiopian upbringing.
The Weeknd’s stage name comes from a memorable weekend
The singer (born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) has a pretty interesting backstory surrounding the origin of his name.
“I left home when I was about 17 dropped out of high school and convinced Lamar to do the same lol. We grabbed our mattresses from our parents threw them in our friend’s [sic] sh***y van and left one weekend and never came back home,” The Weeknd wrote in response to a fan who asked about his name’s origin. “It was gonna be the title of [House of Balloons, the singer’s debut mixtape]. I hated my name at the time though so I tried it as a stage name.”
The singer also revealed why his stage name is missing an ‘e’ in it. According to The Weeknd, he had to drop the ‘e’ in his name because of another band with the same name.
“It sounded cool. I took out the ‘e’ because there was already a Canadian band named the weekend (copyright issues).”
Tesfaye has since spoken out about his experiences growing up, describing himself as a ‘street kid’ growing up in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough. Speaking to Variety, he recalled: “It was tough growing up where I was from. I got into a lot of trouble, got kicked out of school, moved to different schools, and finally dropped out.
“I really thought film was gonna be my way out, but I couldn’t really make a movie to feel better, you know? Music was very direct therapy; it was immediate and people liked it. It definitely saved my life.“
What are your thoughts?
Related Articles:
20 Best Memes About The Weeknd’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Performance That’ll Make You ROFL
Here’s How 15 Famous Celebrities Got Their Stage Name