The Weeknd is back, but this might be his swan song.
The global music scene has been shaken up by the return of Canada’s very own electro-pop and R&B music master, The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, who released his sixth studio album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, on Jan. 31. The new album impresses, full of clever details and powerful lyricism.
Hurry Up Tomorrow is the final installment of The Weeknd’s second trilogy. This series of albums began with After Hours (2020) and expanded with Dawn FM (2022). Each of these albums centre on The Weeknd’s experiences with fame, as well providing poignant meditations on the ing of time. Hurry Up Tomorrow draws from The Weeknd’s previous discography, causing much public speculation this album may be his last, which is also something he’s publicly hinted at.
Fans have been anticipating what was to come as The Weeknd dropped three singles in 2024 prior to the release of the album including “Sao Paulo,” a steamy, funky song featuring Brazilian pop singer Anitta, and “Timeless,” a collaboration with Playboi Carti infused with more heat than listeners have recently come to expect from him.
With features from Future, Travis Scott, Florence + The Machine, and Lana Del Rey, it’s safe to say if Hurry Up Tomorrow is The Weeknd’s last album, he’s leaving a versatile and lasting impression on the mainstream music scene. With almost 120 million monthly listeners on Spotify, The Weeknd has many fans dreading his potential farewell.
In his recent music, listeners can feel the pain of The Weeknd’s fame and his urge to escape the confines and toxicity of his own renown.
Tesfaye said himself that he wants to “kill” The Weeknd—presumably referring to everything his status and experience as a star has encouraged, including heavy substance abuse issues. Hurry Up Tomorrow seems to tackle this figurative death.
One of the darkest and most emotionally introspective songs on the new album, “Baptized in Fear,”’ follows The Weeknd’s classic style—impressive singing that builds intensity while evoking colourful imagery of complex human emotion. In “Baptized in Fear” there’s an unmistakable presence of death as The Weeknd sings about a shadow watching him and getting closer, as his heartbeat slows, while voices—presumably fans—tell him he should carry on.
The song hints the end of The Weeknd as a musical artist may be drawing nearer. The song describes The Weeknd falling asleep in a bathtub and nearly drowning. He’s literally and figuratively drowning in self-hatred and regret that’s exacerbated through this lifestyle of partying, greed, and glamour that he’s cultivated as The Weeknd.
Hurry Up Tomorrow hints at the ways The Weeknd currently feels about the expectations and the corruption of his own stardom.
Another tormented R&B song making waves right now is “Cry For Me,” which alludes to his substance abuse issues, all to an alluring twinkling beat.
At the start of his trilogy in After Hours, titled “Escape From LA,” The Weeknd introduces “Escape From LA,” a track expressing his desire to flee the superficiality of Los Angeles, fearing it would ultimately corrupt him. In the final installation of the trilogy, he parallels this previous track with the electric song “Take Me Back to LA.” It’s clear he feels he has already been ruined, is tormented with regret, and wants to go back to the innocence that used to surround the city of dreams.
Throughout the song, The Weeknd yearns for Toronto, the city he was born and raised in. He pines for the innocence of his youth that existed before his fame.
The album isn’t all darkness though—The Weeknd ends the album with a hopeful ballad, that shares the same name as the album, about wanting to change, find peace, and be better. In a subtle and clever homage to his R&B beginnings and impressive musical career, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” fades out to the same hum that his first released song, “High For This,” begins with.
Hurry Up Tomorrow uses innovative sound and masterful beats to paint a realistic image of the world of a global star. It’s a brutal portrayal of the artist’s experience with fame that’s simultaneously a homage to his outstanding career.
Putting an end to Tesfaye’s The Weeknd may not be an awful idea, but rather an opportunity for him to turn over a new leaf.
One can feel beautifully suffocated through The Weeknd’s music as he carries the weight of his intense experiences. It might be time to embrace the end of The Weeknd and let Tesfaye finally be free.
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