Abel Tesfaye—better known as The Weeknd—released “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” his sixth and final studio album under the stage name on Jan. 31. The album was also the end of the “Trilogy,” a three-part album series. The “Trilogy” began with “After Hours” in 2020 and continued with “Dawn FM” in 2022.
“Hurry Up Tomorrow” came with 22 tracks, two of them being interludes. The sounds on the album were engineered by Mike Dean, an established music producer with credits on hits like “SICKO MODE” by Travis Scott.
Before releasing “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” The Weeknd and Mike Dean had previously collaborated on HBO’s “The Idol,” where both artists developed the show’s soundtrack and made onscreen appearances. The Weeknd played the main character, Tedros, for five episodes, and Mike played himself for two.
Others in the cast included Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of the actor Johnny Depp, and Jennie Kim, member of K-pop group BLACKPINK. Additionally, The Weeknd shared vocals in Mike Dean’s 2023 album “4:23.” The Weeknd made appearances in “Artificial Intelligence,” “Defame Moi,” and “Emotionless.”
The first track of the album is “Wake Me Up,” featuring the French electronic band Justice. The song is influenced heavily by Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” a gesture to one of The Weeknd’s biggest inspirations in his career.
“I can never be Michael Jackson or do what he did, but he is definitely a good inspiration: I want to give the kids that feeling,” he said.
Another track to highlight from the album is “Open Hearts,” following his signature themes of failed relationships and love. He released a music video for the song and held a live performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
“Enjoy The Show” features rapper Future, who gives a bit of emotion behind his singing, unusual for someone who is known to have a nonchalant persona, delivering lyrics with emotional detachment.
He opens his lines with a somber tone, singing, “I can’t feel my face anymore/I don’t wanna give you any space anymore.” Future turns off his emotions and goes back to his normal self—only to finish his lines with “I’m in my feelings.”
In “Take Me Back to LA,” The Weeknd sings about his regrets of leaving the city of Los Angeles, where he moved to when he rose to fame in the mid-2010s. The song serves as a sequel to “Escape From LA” from the “After Hours” album. In “Escape From LA,” he explains his desires to leave the famous city, “Well, this place is never what it seems/Take me out LA/Take me out of LA/This place will be the end of me.”
The Weeknd reminisces on his life in Los Angeles, “Take Me back to LA/Where the sun would kiss on my face.” However, as you keep listening, he mentions his regret on leaving the city of Toronto, where he grew up and started his music career, “Take me back to a place/Where the snow would fall on my face/And I miss my city lights/I left too young.”
This track gives us a glimpse of the inner conflict the artist experienced when reminiscing about his life in both cities.
“Hurry Up Tomorrow” marks the end of the album. Throughout the song, The Weeknd expresses his desire to experience salvation and an internal change, “So I see Heaven after life/I want Heaven when I die/I want to change/I want the pain no more, oh, yeah,” he sings for the last time.
In a seamless transition, the song fades into “High For This,” the first track from his debut studio album, “House of Balloons.” With that final note, Abel Tesfaye closes the story on this chapter of his career as The Weeknd persona.
