The Weeknd isn’t retiring: why he’s hibernating
Summary
A Swedish stadium, an August evening, a phrase dropped between two songs. The man who wanted to put his character to sleep admits he tried retirement—and didn’t like the taste of it. A month later, the alarm rings for real. Abel Tesfaye’s verdict in GQ Hong Kong: no retirement for The Weeknd, just a period of hibernation.
The Weeknd is keeping his stage name and extending the journey beyond the After Hours Til Dawn tour.
The essentials in 4 lines
- Artist: Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd
- Source: GQ Hong Kong interview, September 2026
- Tour: After Hours Til Dawn, over $1 billion in revenue
- Final dates: November 4 and 5, 2026, Kuala Lumpur
Stockholm, then GQ: the two-stage awakening
In early 2025, on the cover of Variety, Abel Tesfaye talked about closing the chapter on The Weeknd. With the After Hours, Dawn FM, Hurry Up Tomorrow trilogy complete, the character seemed destined for a long sleep. Fans were already preparing the eulogy.
The first sign came in August 2026, on stage in Stockholm. Abel told the audience he had “sort of tried retirement” and didn’t like how it felt. Then came this promise: he will never disappear.
In mid-September, GQ Hong Kong made the change of course official. The Weeknd is keeping his stage name. The artist says he feels just as inspired as he did at the beginning, and thinks stopping now would mean wasting that inspiration.
"I got a glimpse of what retirement looks like, and it’s not for me. [...] The Weeknd isn’t going anywhere."
— Abel Tesfaye, GQ Hong Kong, September 2026 (translated by PXP Radar)
Not retirement, just hibernation
The word “disappear” kept coming up. Abel finally explains how it works: focusing all his energy on a single project, instead of juggling several undertakings. He says he isn’t walking away from anything. He’s hibernating.
The character, meanwhile, is taking on a new status. The Weeknd was never a mask, he explains, but rather a lens through which to tell certain stories. The story that began in 2020 is over. The next one is waiting its turn.
The schedule is set. After Hours Til Dawn wraps up on November 4 and 5 in Kuala Lumpur. Want a clue about what’s next? In Tokyo, he just unveiled an unreleased track, Tokyo, which samples the theme from Neon Genesis Evangelion.
THE WAKE-UP IS SCHEDULED
The Weeknd isn’t fading away; he’s going into hibernation. After Kuala Lumpur’s final moments, there will be silence, then a wake-up his fans are already watching for. The countdown begins.
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