The Weeknd’s Missing ‘E’: Copyright Issues Made Him Drop the Letter from His Name
Abel Makkonen Tesfaye removed an ‘e’ from his stage name because another Canadian band already owned “The Weekend.” This small change became the beginning of his unique identity.
Before putting out “House of Balloons,” he wanted “The Weekend” as his album name. At 17, he left home with a friend — a moment that would change the course of his music career.
In 2009, mysterious songs began popping up online. The person behind them was Tesfaye, whose birth name has deep meaning across cultures: Abel means “a breath” in Hebrew, while his surname Tesfaye means “my hope” in Amharic.
Recent Reddit talks got people curious about his unique spelling again. While some fans connected it to when he left home as a teen, others said trademark rules were the real cause.
The spelling created a gap between his stage presence and personal life. When fans use “Abel,” they recognize both parts of who he is as an artist.
Tesfaye shot to fame with hits “Can’t Feel My Face,” “The Hills,” and “Blinding Lights.” But before becoming famous, he kept his identity a secret, releasing music anonymously.
One missing letter shows how trademark rules can shape artists’ decisions. By dropping that ‘e,’ he avoided legal problems while making his mark in music.
