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Canadian singer The Weeknd (real name Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) announced the postponement of his upcoming album Hurry Up Tomorrow due to the LA wildfires. On Monday, January 13, 2025, Abel took to his Instagram to announce:
"Out of respect and concern for the people of Los Angeles County, the Rose Bowl Show has been cancelled and the album date has been postponed to 01.31.25."
The announcement comes amid the ongoing wildfire in Los Angeles and surrounding cities. What began as a bushfire on Tuesday near the Pacific Palisades spread across 40,000 acres by Sunday.
As news of The Weeknd delaying the release spread, internet users were quick to react. One user commented on the irony of the album's lead single, writing:
"Not the lead single being dancing in the flames."
Many praised the singer for the move, calling him thoughtful.
"This is why I love him, always choose people above his personal gain, we are going to wait till whenever he is ready," one wrote.
"He’s very thoughtful for doing this btw," another added.
"Smart move, not a good look releasing an album in the midst of the raging wildfires…" a fan commented.
Others questioned the push, one even calling it performative.
"The first reasonable album delay," one user noted.
"i understand it’s very thoughtful to do this but I don’t really understand why pushing back the album is happening?? like the rose bowl show being cancelled is understandable but delaying the album isn’t," another stated.
"Postponing an album because of this is performative asl," a person stated.
The Weeknd originally planned Rose Bowl concert to celebrate the upcoming album release
The Weeknd's post elaborated that "out of respect and concern" for those in Los Angeles County, he was canceling his Rose Bowl concert, which was scheduled for January 25.
"This city has always been a profound source of inspiration for me, and my thoughts are with everyone impacted during this difficult time," the singer wrote.
The Blinding Lights hitmaker originally planned the concert as a "One Night Only" performance to celebrate the release of his sixth studio album, Hurry Up Tomorrow. According to NBC4 Los Angeles, the Rose Bowl Stadium is currently being used as a site to collect donations to help those affected by the wildfires.
Hurry Up Tomorrow is The Weeknd's third release in his trilogy album, preceded by 2020’s After Hours and 2022’s Dawn FM. The project was originally scheduled to drop a day before the concert on January 24.
According to Billboard, The Weeknd's concert is not the only event to be rescheduled or canceled. The Critics Choice Awards have been postponed from January 12 to January 26. The Academy has also delayed key events, including pushing back the Oscar nomination announcements.
According to CNN, the wildfires were fueled by the high Santa Ana winds (80-100 mph), spreading to nearby areas such as Eaton and Hurth. Strong winds (over 40 mph) are expected to hit the city through Wednesday.
According to CalFire, the fires have burned through 40,600 acres of land, with more than 12,300 structures destroyed. The fire in Palisades is only 17% contained, while the one in Eaton is 35% contained. Additionally, at least 25 lives have been lost due to the disaster.
