The end of The Weeknd and the power of owning your name

It is one of the largest popstine stars that call her resignation – well, somewhat. . .

The WeekndHis real name is Abel Tesfaye, ending his triple album to discover self and extermination with the release of his sixth album, “Hurry Up Tomorrow”. Tesfaye expansion project has already become 22 tracks The first for the first time in the yearA few weeks after its release, it behaves as a follow -up to the other Smash albums of the artist, “After Hours” and “Dawn FM”.

As one of the few male pop stars in recent years, Tesfaye has been on the top of the plans, and I got the tallest Billboard No. 1 ever with 2019 “2019”Blind lights” In 2023, explore new projects with HBO’s “idol“The series of drama created alongside Sam Livinson, and although it has become a stunning decisive and commercial failure, Tesfaye has become a cultural power, as he invented himself through his albums and tours.

But in “Hurry Up Tomorrow”, it appears that the Canadian Ethiopian singer is free from the title “The Weeknd”. Tesfaye is competing with heavy hunks like Giorgio Moroder, Anita, PlayBoi Carti, Lana Del Rey and Travis Scott To help him “kill” the character of the pop star, “the character” has lived with Tesfaye since his mysterious and unknown appearance for the year 2011 with the “House of Balloons” tape, groaning around drugs, girls and fame.

Nearly 15 years of ascending to the upper levels of pop and R&b, Tesfaye no longer connecting his name and personality a party monster. As the son of two Ethiopian immigrants who immigrated to Canada, Tesfaye is ready to restore his name and the given identity – struggling that many of the diaspora residents like me know very well.

In an interview with a modern cover story with diverseThe musician said that obstructing the week at this stage represents a mental challenge. He said: “It is a head space, I must get it, I do not have any other desire.”

“You have a personality, but then you have to compete everything. This mice race becomes: more awards, more success, more offers, more albums, more awards and more number 1. Tesvay explained:” Never end until it ends With it.

Taking moves towards this change for a while now, in 2023, is it He said W magazine, “I will continue to make music, maybe as a father, maybe a week. But I still want to kill The Weeknd.”

This feeling of restoring ownership on his identity feels through the “Red Terror” path, outside his new album. The song is a reference to Qey Shibir, a violent period in the history of Ethiopia that launched a civil war in the 1970s, which sparked a famine that led to the mass migration of Ethiopian refugees.

Tesvay’s parents were part of this flow of refugees from Ethiopia who are looking for asylum in Western countries such as Canada and the United States, the government was persecuted by the government at this time and the country left for Somalia in 1990. How the violent militia, called DERG, tried to recruit it And beating in the end and arrested him because of his opposition.

Tesfaye sings from his mother’s perspective, “I ran from terrorism, the land was red from my only intention, and alone, I left to the West/then moved to the city, eight months, we are pregnant.”

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In The Song’s Outro, Tesfaye says, “Death is not something at all/call me the familiar old name.”

From here it seems that Tesfaye is reconciling with the development that happened within itself, and it seems that he is looking forward to what is familiar to him – his cultural background – while moving away from fame, success and spinning that walked with his title, The Weeknd.

When I was a child who grew up in the Internet era, I only learned about Tesfaye because of my older brother, Nathan. My brother was only two years old, and my brother was the person I was looking for to determine what was wonderful or not. So when I asked him when he discovered this week, he wrote me, “He was waiting for my whole life to discourage Og’s lover.”

a fan DrakeLike many other adolescents on the Internet at the time, Nathan found the week in 2011 when the rapper shot down free and diameter. It was discovered in Wikipedia that “Weeknd” was “the dark Ethiopian RNB singer from Toronto.”

“Out of the clear Ethiopian diaspora connection, music was already crazy,” Nathan said.

There is a feeling of pride in seeing the appearance of an Ethiopian artist on the stage of the world stage, but more than that, it is difficult to check his experience – in actual time – his rejection of the whitening that occurs when one of your people happens. Anyone bearing an unfamiliar name to the Western world understands his strength. It is strange when one of the teachers divides your name in the semester, or when someone stops before saying that, or when he gives you another name to simplify his inability to pronounce it.

While Tesfaye was a defender of the Ethiopian ordeal, she donated Millions To help Ethiopians affected by the risks of war or financing research To preserve Ethiopian studies and more studies at the University of Toronto, his specific name is the next step in correcting pain and shocking generations prevailing in “A calf tomorrow”. He sings in “Enjoy the Show”, “Shocks in my life, I was hesitant to recover.”

For me, as a third child that extends to multiple identities, I always felt tearing between the cultural world raised by me, my parents and the suburb of Pennsylvania, which rejected our customs and our original language. In response, I corrected the people who have offended nevertheless tirelessly who offended my name or tried to appoint me. But despite my challenge, I still hate my name. I hated the difficulty associated with the pronunciation. In my adolescence anger, there was nothing on the topic that enabled me.

However, in adulthood, I realized that I have nothing to prove – for others or even for myself. I have always wondered why my parents did not give me an easier name, such as Saron or Salem, both of them are the famous Ethiopian names. But for me it was a name that I could not escape; He followed me everywhere until she finally accepted her strength. It carries thousands of years of history and culture, and it is something I no longer want to avoid just because it makes me different.

Likewise, Tesfaye seems to be exhausted from hiding behind the variable ego’s greatness, and finally ready to get out of the shadow and reveal his real face, name and soul. When everything is said and done, I hope this version of the pop star will find peace and meaning in the place from which he came – because I know that I did.