Hurry Up Tomorrow

For the film extension of the album, see Hurry Up Tomorrow (film).

Hurry Up Tomorrow
The Weeknd in a black tank top, looking towards the viewer and visibly holding tears back from his eyes
Studio album by
the Weeknd
ReleasedJanuary 24, 2025 (2025-01-24)
StudioConway (Los Angeles)
Language
  • English
  • Portuguese
Label
Producer
The Weeknd chronology
The Idol Episode 5 Part 2 (Music from the HBO Original Series)
(2023) 		Hurry Up Tomorrow
(2025)
Singles from Hurry Up Tomorrow
  1. "Dancing in the Flames"
    Released: September 13, 2024
  2. "Timeless"
    Released: September 27, 2024
  3. "São Paulo"
    Released: October 30, 2024

Hurry Up Tomorrow is the upcoming sixth studio album by the Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. It is scheduled to be released through XO and Republic Records on January 24, 2025. The album contains confirmed guest appearances from Playboi Carti and Anitta. Production was handled by the Weeknd himself, Max Martin, Oscar Holter, Pharrell Williams, Mike Dean, Ojivolta, Twisco, and Sean Solymar, among others. The album was supported by three singles: "Dancing in the Flames", "Timeless" (with Playboi Carti) and "São Paulo" (featuring Anitta). It will be also be supported by the upcoming psychological thriller film of the same name. The album serves as the final part of a trilogy, following the Weeknd's previous two studio albums, After Hours (2020) and Dawn FM (2022).

Background and release

On March 25, 2020, the Weeknd previewed five unreleased tracks during an Instagram live session,[1] some of which were reportedly intended for After Hours,[2] which was released five days prior. Three of these songs were later included in the deluxe edition of the album.[3] However, the other tracks did not make the final cut of After Hours (Deluxe) or Dawn FM. One of the previewed tracks, "Regular", resurfaced in a CGI teaser for Hurry Up Tomorrow released on July 23, 2024.[4] Another song, "Take Me Back to LA", was teased again at a Mike Dean show in March 2024,[5] alongside a third unreleased track, "In Heaven", the Weeknd's own rendition of the original song from the 1977 film Eraserhead.[6] "Regular", "Take Me Back to LA", and "In Heaven" were performed live again on September 7, 2024, in São Paulo, seemingly confirming their inclusion on the album.[7][8]

On January 10, 2022, three days after the release of Dawn FM, the Weeknd confirmed the existence of a follow-up album by tweeting: “I wonder… did you know you’re experiencing a new trilogy?”.[9][10] This revealed that the upcoming album would conclude a trilogy that began with After Hours (2020) and continued with Dawn FM (2022).[9][10] The new trilogy serves as a nod to his 2012 compilation album Trilogy, which combines his debut mixtapes House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence, released in 2011.[11] Fans have speculated that his new trilogy is inspired by Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, reflecting its themes, symbolism, and narrative arc. According to this theory, the albums represent a journey through Hell (After Hours), Purgatory (Dawn FM), and Paradise (Hurry Up Tomorrow).[12]

In an interview with W in May 2023, the Weeknd stated that his next album would be his "last hurrah" under the stage name, hinting that he may make music under his real name, Abel Tesfaye:

“The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd. This is something that I have to do. As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say. I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn.”[13]

On January 7, 2024, on the two-year anniversary date of his fifth studio album Dawn FM, the Weeknd teased his upcoming record, by posting the cover art for his previous two studio albums, along with a black slide featuring a white question mark in the center. The slide was captioned with the number "3", indicating that the upcoming album would be the third and final entry of a trilogy.[14]

In July 2024, he shared a trio of CGI teasers, being titled "There Are Three Chapters in this Tale", "When you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you", and "Unprepared Certainty", the second one being a quote by Friedrich Nietzsche. The teasers showcased snippets of "Wake Me Up", "Run Away", and "Regular", songs from the upcoming album. The animation centered on a young boy, presumably representing a young Abel Tesfaye, and The Weeknd's characters from other albums, like Trilogy (2012), After Hours (2020), and Dawn FM (2022).[15]

On August 7, 2024, Universal announced that The Weeknd would be returning to Universal Studios Hollywood as a haunted house for that year's Halloween Horror Nights event, after a similar event tied to his album After Hours, in 2022. The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy is inspired by his albums from the new trilogy. The house featured music by The Weeknd, scored by Mike Dean.[1] From Hurry Up Tomorrow, then-unreleased songs "Take Me Back to LA" and "São Paulo" could be heard.[2] The event took place from September 5, 2024 to November 3, 2024.[1]

The album title Hurry Up Tomorrow was officially announced on September 4, a few days before a "one-night only" concert in São Paulo, through a video with a written poem:[10]

Yesterday was fourteen years ago. We held our breath, falling into a shimmering sea in the after hours of the night. Attempted to cleanse the wounds with melodies and lights, a bulletproof bandage to shield what lies beneath. In a place where the seasons never changed, where time ceased to exist. But therein lays the problem. Today has felt like and endless spin. I keep distorting the truth, immune to the dizziness, numb to the nausea. What lies beneath - screams in silence. I look in the mirror and feel both old and new, stuck in limbo and unable to move. I still haven't faced myself. More songs could help but what do I have left to say? Woe is me in my gilded cage, right? The very thing that once made me invincible failed me on the world stage. A new trauma surfaced, opening floodgates. A new path awaits. When today ends, I'll discover who I am.

Hurry Up Tomorrow.

Hours before the concert on September 7, the album cover was revealed, with album preorders on vinyl and CDs subsequently being opened through the XO webstore.[16][17] On November 27, 2024, exactly five years after the new trilogy had started with the release of After Hours' lead single "Heartless", the Weeknd announced January 24, 2025 as the album's release date.[18]

Promotion

Performances

São Paulo concert

On July 17, 2024, the Weeknd announced a special one-night only concert in São Paulo, Brazil featuring "never-before-seen production", taking place on September 7.[19] The show sold out in under one hour on July 22, 2024, with 420,000 fans attempting to buy tickets.[20] A trailer released August 20 revealed the show would stream live on YouTube.[21]

The 90-minute concert was held in the MorumBIS Stadium, where the Weeknd performed songs exclusively from After Hours, Dawn FM and Hurry Up Tomorrow, debuting nine then-unreleased songs from the latter: "The Crowd", "Wake Me Up", "Take Me Back to LA", "Dancing in the Flames", "Timeless" (with Playboi Carti), "São Paulo" (featuring Anitta), "Run Away", "Regular", and "In Heaven".[8] Both Anitta and Playboi Carti joined The Weeknd on stage to perform their respective songs, with the latter artist also performing a version of Travis Scott's single "Fein".[22][23]

The stage design maintained the catwalk-style setup that spanned the length of the pitch, from previous After Hours til Dawn Tour performances.[24] Notable religious elements were incorporated into the stage design for this leg of the tour. Midway down the catwalk, a church inspired by the rock-hewn structures of Lalibela was constructed, likely paying homage to The Weeknd's Ethiopian heritage.[25] The church featured multiple levels, enabling The Weeknd to perform on its roof, an intermediate floor, and its ground level. The stage design now also featured a large video screen and illuminated walkway,[26] which ended in a design resembling a Christian cross. The Weeknd premiered wearing a black robe with gold trim, a costume that became a staple for subsequent performances. The new stage design was also used for subsequent touring shows. The concert received positive critical reception, with The Guardian awarding it 4 out of 5 stars in their review.[24]

iHeartRadio Music Festival

On August 23, 2024, it was reported that The Weeknd was added to the lineup of the upcoming iHeartRadio Music Festival, for the first time since 2017.[27] On September 21, 2024, The Weeknd performed at the festival in Las Vegas, atop a pyramid formed by red-veiled dancers.[28] In a 20-minute set, he performed "Blinding Lights" and "Save Your Tears" from After Hours, "Take My Breath" and "Sacrifice" from Dawn FM, and "Dancing in the Flames" and then-unreleased "São Paulo" from Hurry Up Tomorrow.

Billions Club Live

On December 11, 2024, it was announced The Weeknd would be performing at Spotify's first ever Billions Club Live on December 17. The exclusive, invite-only performance at Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar was reserved for 2,000 of his top listeners on the platform, celebrating his record as the artist with the most songs surpassing one billion streams.[29] During a 70-minute concert, he performed most of his 24 tracks that had reached the milestone, along with songs from Hurry Up Tomorrow: "Timeless", "São Paulo" and then-unreleased "In Heaven".[30]

Rose Bowl concert

Along with the album's release date announcement on November 27, 2024, he also announced another "one-night only" concert, this time in Pasadena, California at the Rose Bowl stadium for the day after release,[18] featuring "never-before-seen production", and a stage that will take over the stadium's entire floor.[31] On December 2, 2024, the show was sold out in under one hour, as over 300,000 fans attempted to buy tickets.[32]

Psychological thriller film

Further information: Hurry Up Tomorrow (film)

On November 4, 2024, American film studio Lionsgate announced their acquisition of worldwide distribution rights to Hurry Up Tomorrow, a psychological thriller film based on the album of the same name.[33] It is directed by Trey Edward Schults, who wrote the screenplay with Tesfaye and Reza Fahim, who also produced the film with Kevin Turen and Harrison Kreiss. Making his feature film debut, Tesfaye stars alongside Jenna Ortega, Barry Keoghan, and Gabby Barrett. Live Nation Entertainment financed the film on a budget of over $20 million.[34] During Spotify's Billions Club concert on December 17, 2024, he announced the movie would release in 2025.[35] Three days later, the release date of May 16, 2025, in theaters only, was announced.[36]

Tour

Further information: After Hours til Dawn Tour

Starting on July 14, 2022, The Weeknd embarked on the After Hours til Dawn Tour, originally in support of his fourth and fifth studio albums After Hours (2020) and Dawn FM (2022), his seventh concert tour. Before the release of Hurry Up Tomorrow, the tour encompassed four legs, totalling 68 shows in primarily stadiums, successively visiting North America (2022), Europe and Latin America (2023), and Australia (2024).

On September 23, 2024, The Weeknd tweeted "NOTE FOR XO: AFTER HOURS TIL DAWN is the tour name of the entire trilogy",[37] therefore confirming that the ongoing tour will also support his upcoming sixth studio album. During Spotify's Billions Club concert on December 17, 2024, he announced touring would continue in 2025.[38] Specific tour dates and locations are yet to be announced.

Singles

The Weeknd announced the release of his album's lead single, "Dancing in the Flames", on September 9, 2024, two days after being debuted live at his concert in São Paulo. The announcement followed Apple's live event, where the iPhone 16 Pro was unveiled alongside a teaser of the music video, which was shot entirely on the device.[39] The song, accompanied by its music and lyric videos, was officially released four days later. On September 15, a live audio version of the song was released, taken from the São Paulo performance. Two days later, an acoustic version was released along with a video, in which The Weeknd performed in the same robe as for the São Paulo concert. The initial song debuted at number 14 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[40]

Four days after performing live at the iHeartRadio Music Festival, on September 25, the second single "Timeless" with American rapper Playboi Carti was announced. The song had already debuted live at the São Paulo concert earlier that month. It was released on September 27, alongside an accompanying lyric video. The music video was released three days later.[41] The song debuted and peaked at number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100, marking the Weeknd's highest career debut on the chart.[42]

On October 25, Brazilian singer Anitta shared a post depicting herself with a baby belly and a white face mask.[43] Two days later, she shared a post depicting an ultrasound image of a baby with sharp teeth and a forked tail asking if the creature is beautiful, to which the Weeknd responded how beautiful it looks.[44] The picture was labeled with the coordinates of São Paulo, Brazil, along with a date later revealed as the release date of the third single "São Paulo", featuring Anitta.[45] Released on October 30, the single's music video premiered simultaneously.[46][47][48] The song debuted and peaked at number 77 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[49]

Other songs

The Weeknd debuted "Open Hearts," a track from his then unreleased album, during the After Hours til Dawn Tour shows in Sydney's Accor Stadium on October 22 and 23. The song was officially released on November 14, 2024, as part of an immersive music experience in collaboration with Apple, featured exclusively on the Apple Vision Pro.[50] It has not yet been made available on other platforms.

Artwork

The album cover for Hurry Up Tomorrow features a portrait of Tesfaye in a black tank top, gazing at the camera and seemingly holding back tears.[17] Four special edition vinyl LPs featuring exclusive artwork by Harmony Korine (October 4, 2024), Hajime Sorayama (November 13, 2024), Frank Miller (November 27, 2024) and Jean-Michel Basquiat (December 13-18, 2024) were made available for pre-order.[51] The former two editions were available for 72 hours, with a limited restock on December 2, 2024, also lasting 72 hours.[52][53]

Composition and themes

In an interview with Billboard Brasil on September 6, the Weeknd revealed that a "central song" was composed in São Paulo, with the album exploring different sounds, which he nicknamed "frankenstein".[54] In the same publication, a collaboration with Brazilian singer Anitta was confirmed after months of rumours, although the article was later removed by Billboard.[55]

References

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