Celebs reveal the stories behind their stage names

Here's why The Weeknd's name change back to Abel Tesfaye is more of a homecoming than you think

Stars Insider

16/05/23 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Stage names

Canadian pop star The Weeknd has gone back to his birth name Abel Tesfaye on his social media accounts, marking both an end and a beginning. As he told W Magazine, "It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter," adding that he won't stop making music, "But I still want to kill The Weeknd."

His reason was: "As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say." For a little insight as to why he might feel that way, one might look to the origin of his stage name. The artist once shared with fans on Reddit that he dropped out of high school and left home when he was 17, convincing XO crew member Lamar to do the same. "We grabbed our mattresses from our parents threw it in our friends s****y van and left one weekend and never came back home." He added that "The Weekend" was going to be the title of his first mixtape, but confessed, "I hated my name at the time though so I tried it as a stage name. It sounded cool." His return to his given name might then be perceived as Tesfaye no longer running, and instead coming home to his origins and his family name. 

What about the backstory behind Snoop Dogg's name? Or how about singer Lady Gaga? We've dug up the most interesting stories behind your favorite celebrities' stage names. Click through this gallery and learn all about how these monikers came to be!

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