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Abel Tesfaye, better known by his artistic moniker The Weeknd, is gearing up for the release of his sixth and reported final studio album, Hurry Up Tomorrow. The album is scheduled to be delivered to streaming platforms in two weeks.
It was first announced and revealed toward the end of 2024, with a trailer that alluded to the end of his second trilogy of projects. The trilogy with the release of After Hours in 2020.
With Abel seemingly gearing up for his final album as The Weeknd, after performing under that alias for over 16 years, his recent cover story with Variety magazine garnered attention online after he alluded to his supposed retirement.
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Over a lengthy discussion that explored his current state of mind, past performances, Hurry Up Tomorrow's rollout, plans for the future, and more, Abel explained his decision to "close the chapter" on The Weeknd, when he stated:
"When is the right time to leave, if not at your peak? Once you understand who I am too much, then it’s time to pivot."
While his statements do confirm his intention to move on from his current artistic direction, several moments from this interview allude to his wish to expand and explore new territories both artistically and sonically.
"No one’s gonna do The Weeknd better than me" - Abel Tesfaye speaks on his future with Variety Magazine
From social media posts to massive billboards that portray the "end of the chapter," Abel Tesfaye's upcoming album is one of the most highly anticipated projects for 2025.
His cover story with Variety hints that his decision to retire his moniker stems from the mental fatigue and exhaustion he faces playing this role. The Weeknd is one of the biggest and most streamed popstars of this generation, earning multiple platinum albums and singles, as well as becoming the only artist to achieve a Billion streams for 25 different singles on Spotify.
According to Abel, the idea to retire first came during an unsuccessful performance in 2022, during the final show of his "After Hours Til' Dawn - North American Tour". The rapper recounted him losing his voice 45 seconds into the concert, citing:
"I was defeated on the world stage. With everyone watching... When I watched the video later, the reaction actually wasn’t that bad. But in my head, all I heard was booing and screaming and hate and anger. That’s how defeated I felt."
He explained that a visit to his doctor, following his canceled show at California's SoFi Stadium, led to the realization that his voice breaking on stage was not a health-related issue.
"I saw my doctor the next day, and he said, "There’s nothing wrong with you, your [vocal cords] are inflamed, but nothing out of the ordinary". And that’s when we came to the realization that it was all up here," The Weeknd stated while pointing to his head.
Toward the end of his interview with Variety, Abel was seemingly asked to explain what he meant by "closing the chapter," as multiple references alluded to both himself as The Weeknd as well as the After Hours trilogy, to which he responds stating:
"I would say my existence as The Weeknd. It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I just don’t have any more desire for. I feel like it comes with so much. You have a persona, but then you have the competition of it all. It becomes this rat race."
He cleared the confusion by confirming his decision doesn't mean he would stop releasing any more music but instead comes from his desire to explore more challenging creations as an artist, stating:
"I don’t think I can stop doing that. But everything needs to feel like a challenge. And for me right now, The Weeknd, whatever that is, it’s been mastered. No one’s gonna do The Weeknd better than me, and I’m not gonna do it better than what it is right now. I think I’ve overcome every challenge as this persona."
Following Hurry Up Tomorrow's official release on January 24, 2025, Abel is gearing up for the launch of a feature film of the same name, which serves as an extension of his final studio album.
The Hurry Up Tomorrow movie was directed by Trey Edward Shults and will be released on May 15, 2025, via Lionsgate.
