‘Starboy’ hitmaker The Weeknd opens up about suffering ‘mental breakdown’

During what was supposed to be his final tour date in 2022 at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, The Weeknd lost his voice and ultimately had to reschedule his show while he was already on stage, an experience that made him feel "defeated"

Singer-songwriter The Weeknd opened up about experiencing a “mental breakdown” and how it led to him reconsidering how he presents in his music career.

The singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, seems to be doing away with his public persona, reports ‘People’ magazine.

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During what was supposed to be his final tour date in 2022 at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, The Weeknd lost his voice and ultimately had to reschedule his show while he was already on stage, an experience that made him feel “defeated”.

As per ‘People’, that moment, which he called “the last straw”, stuck with him and the “self-imposed pressure” became crushing.

He told ‘Variety’, “I knew that I really needed to sit the f*** down and figure out my life. To understand what happened, face it, learn something new and start again. I had had a kind of a mental breakdown, which is pretty much what this new album’s about.”

The experience at SoFi also contributed to his desire to retire his public persona. He said, “Part of me actually was thinking, ‘You lost your voice because it’s done; you said what you had to say. Don’t overstay at the party, you can end it now and live a happy life.’ You know? Put the bow on it: ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’? Now we’re here.”

He added, “When is the right time to leave, if not at your peak? Once you understand who I am too much, then it’s time to pivot.”

However, he clarified that he’s not planning to quit music, as he said, “I don’t think I can stop doing that. But everything needs to feel like a challenge. And for me right now, the Weeknd, whatever that is, it’s been mastered.”

The Weeknd also explained that he was grappling with “the competition of it all” when it came to his musical project. “It becomes this rat race: more accolades, more success, more shows, more albums, more awards and more Number 1s. It never ends until you end it,” he added.

In December 2024, The Weeknd fuelled speculation that he might be unloading his moniker when billboards surfaced in major cities that said, ‘The Weeknd Is Near’ but with three missing letters that read, ‘The End Is Near’.

The Weeknd is set to release the final album in his trilogy, ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’, on January 24.