The Weeknd is teasing a new album. It appears to (1) be the concluding chapter of his After Hours/Dawn FM trilogy, and (2) be really fucking existential. Here’s everything we know about Hurry Up Tomorrow, including its new release date.
Uh-oh, Abel is reading Nietzsche
Abel Tesfaye captioned his CGI teaser “When you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you,” one of Friedriech Nietzsche’s absolute bangers off Beyond Good & Evil. Nietzsche’s treatise criticizes philosophers who rest their moral framework on the assumption that good and evil are opposites. Instead, he puts forward the case for moral relativism, and that The Idol was neither good nor bad but a secret third thing.
The album tease comes on the same day a Hollywood Reporter cover story lays a lot of the blame for Euphoria delays/the professional breakup of Sam Levinson and his producing partner Kevin Turen at Abel’s door (which was featured as a location on The Idol, BTW).
Say Goodbye to The Weeknd
In previous interviews, Tesfaye has hinted that this album will be the last under his “the Weeknd” moniker, and that he intends to “kill” the character. “The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as the Weeknd,” he said in 2023. “This is something that I have to do. As the Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.”
The Weeknd’s second maze at Halloween Horror Nights seems to confirm that this would be the final album under that persona. The “Nightmare Trilogy” maze featured three Weeknds: Super Bowl Weeknd (After Hours) Old Man Weeknd (Dawn FM) and Baby Weeknd (Hurry Up Tomorrow).
Who’s collaborating with Baby Weeknd?
The latest single off Hurry Up Tomorrow, “São Paulo,” features Anitta. Specifically, the music video features her giving birth to bb Weeknd. Another definite guest artist on the Weeknd’s last album is legendary Lord of Synth Giorgio Moroder. “Giorgio is a huge inspiration for this album,” Tesfaye told Variety in January. “His DNA has always been in all of my music, but I’m really honing in on it here, especially the operatic synths in Scarface. This album feels almost like an opera to me. This gothic, operatic finale to the trilogy.”
Tesfaye played “Take Me Back to LA” and “In Heaven” at a Mike Dean show in March, so he’s most likely involved. “In Heaven” is a cover of the song from Eraserhead, which maybe leaves room for a guest verse from the Lady in the Radiator?
When does Hurry Up Tomorrow come out?
Hurry Up Tomrrow? More like Hurry Up, 2025! The album comes out January 31, is what we’re getting at. The album had previously been schedule to debut earlier in the month, but has been pushed back due to the California wildfires. The Weeknd’s Rose Bowl concert January 25 has been canceled for the same reason.