After years of teasing the conclusion of “The Weeknd,” Abel Tesfaye is no longer dropping his revered moniker.

The Grammy Award-winning artist opened up about his previous plan to retire his stage name in an interview with GQ Hong Kong and GQ Singapore, which debuted on Wednesday, September 16. 

“The Weeknd was never a mask I wore to hide from myself, Abel was always there,” Tesfaye explained. “It was simply a lens I chose to tell certain stories through. If I create under my own name one day, it won’t be about leaving anything behind. It’ll just be another evolution.”