On October 5, 2021, during a new episode of his show Memento Mori, The Weeknd revealed that he will have “exciting” features (or “characters” as he referred to them) and that they are “essential to the story” of the album. On August 6, 2021, the lead single, “Take My Breath,” was released along with a music video. A cover interview with GQ was also released that day, where Abel said “It’s the album I’ve always wanted to make.“ The following day, Abel announced that the song would be releasing that Friday. On August 2, 2021, a few days after deleting all of his posts on Instagram, he announced that the era was starting that night and then posted the snippet of a song.
On July 13, 2021, he confirmed that there is an album and that it is almost done in another series of tweets, also stating that he is “really proud” of it. He also wrote “the dawn is coming…” in an Instagram post on May 13, 2021, and then tweeted the same phrase on July 7, 2021. If the last record is the after hours of the night, then the dawn is coming. In an interview with Variety on May 4, 2021, Abel said:
He continued to tease new music in a series of cryptic tweets on April 27, 2021. I’m guilty of wanting to outdo my last album. I might have another album ready to go by the time this quarantine is over. The Dawn is the tentative title of The Weeknd’s upcoming fifth studio album.Ībel first teased new music in a Rolling Stone cover piece, where he said:
We will update this tracklist as more information comes to light. The Weeknd has taken it in turns to release the title track first on each album, choosing to release the title track first with his first and third albums, as opposed to his second and fourth. It is purely speculative and has not been confirmed by the artist. It is compiled of recent singles, snippets, and song titles sourced from streaming services, PROs, and social media. In the time of social distancing, any opportunity to be messy about other people’s exes is much needed.This tracklist is unconfirmed. He did just spend My Dear Melancholy singing about her, but it’s enough coincidence for - at least - the eyes emoji. “Save Your Tears” mentions a “crowded room,” which is also the name of a new Selena Gomez song. While, Bella Hadid is all over this album, some fans also see a little of his other ex, Selena Gomez, on After Hours. chrome hearts? oh yes abel we know you love her,” said a different fan. “Abel & Bella are DONE done lmao.” “Escape from LA is inspired by bella hadid. The singer and songwriter arrived in 2011 with three mixtapes offering morose ballads that seemed to have no designs on. “Damn just heard Scared to Live,” another fan tweeted. The Weeknd is the alias of alternative R&B enigma-turned-pop star Abel Tesfaye, whose aching accounts of emotionally and physically toxic indulgences have translated to multi-platinum sales and Grammy recognition. “Is that Bella’s laugh in Snowchild? Lol My boy’s in love fr,” one fan wrote on Twitter. If you’ll recall, Abel Tesfaye went through a second Bella Hadid breakup last fall. Ooh, conceptual.įans have already put on their little houndstooth caps and pulled out their magnifying glasses to investigate the lyrics on After Hours. The Weeknd promoted the album and its singles “ After Hours,” “ Heartless,” “ Blinding Lights,” and “Scared to Live” on Saturday Night Live and Jimmy Kimmel Live !, where he dressed up as his character from the music video, bloody nose and all. The music video for After Hours single “ Blinding Lights” follows the singer through a rough night in Las Vegas, where he ends up with a bloody, broken nose. Musically, After Hours hits the best balance yet of the gloomy melodrama of the Weeknd’s early EPs or his 2018 release My Dear Melancholy and the pop slickness of his 2016 LP Starboy at once lachrymose and sleek, cold but plush, like a lavishly ornamented fallout shelter. Amid government orders to stay indoors, the Weeknd reminds you just how fun partying is … most of the time.
In normal, not panic-inducing, world-sinking news (unless you’re Bella Hadid), the Weeknd is back with a brand new album. Shockingly, no Safdie Brothers features on the album.