The story of The Weeknd began with a foundation of anonymity, as his 2011 trilogy of mixtapes —“House of Balloons,” “Thursday ...

The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, tells PEOPLE about retiring ... so that whole skill set I haven't really mastered and I don't plan to," he said.

While he has been adamant that he plans to keep making music, Tesfaye told EW ... insomnia-wrecked version of himself, also named Abel, who is taken on a wild ride by alluring stranger Anima ...

For a little while now, Abel Tesfaye has teased that he intends to retire his The Weeknd stage name. But, now he appears to be leaving the door open on continuing with his pseudonym.