The Weeknd: Pop star changes his name to Abel Tesfaye

Canadian pop star The Weeknd has reverted to his birth name Abel Tesfaye on his social media accounts.

In March 2023 Guinness World Records declared him the most popular artist in the world.

The singer, known for songs like Blinding Lights, asked his fans on social media in April if he should make the change.

"It's getting to a place and time where I'm getting ready to close The Weeknd chapter," he said.

As of March 2023, the 33-year-old had 111.4 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and was the first artist to have 100 million monthly listeners on the streaming app.

In 2022 he overtook Justin Beiber as the artist with the most listens ever and Blinding Lights was the most streamed song over lockdown.

However, he told W Magazine: "As the Weeknd, I've said everything I can say," adding that his next album would probably be his last under that name.

Born in Toronto to parents who moved to Canada from Ethiopia, The Weeknd rose to fame after he uploaded his first songs to YouTube in 2010.