Abel Tesfaye, the Canadian singer who performs as the Weeknd, is perhaps his generation’s most committed self-mythologist. Early in his career, he obscured his identity while his moody ...

Ahead of the release of Hurry Up Tomorrow, billboards started popping up reading “The End Is Near,” written in different fonts representing Abel Tesfaye’s different eras as The Weeknd.

Hurry Up Tomorrow is a similar act of leave-taking. It is touted as the last album that Abel Tesfaye will make as The Weeknd. Bowie is a reference point. The Canadian is an admirer: he titled The ...