Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, dropped his new album “Hurry Up Tomorrow” on Jan. 31. The album consists of 22 songs, each adding to a story that The Weeknd conveys. He has hinted multiple times that this might be the last album of his music career, as this is the final part of the album trilogy.
For months preceding the album release, the singer-songwriter dropped snippets of the music, including two singles: “Timeless” and “São Paulo.” This album has many recurring features such as Lana Del Rey, Future and Playboi Carti. The Weeknd introduces new features as well, like Anitta in the song “São Paulo” and Justice in “Wake Me Up”.
“I would say [the features] Travis Scott and Lana Del Rey [are my favorite],” FHS freshman Omie Lodha said. “We did not expect Lana Del Rey, but she was actually there on ‘The Abyss,’ and we also saw Travis Scott in ‘Reflections Laughing.’ You could barely hear him, but his vocals were very nice.”
Along with adding in new features, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” is different from The Weeknd’s past albums, as he explores different sounds and instrumentals. This change provides a more RnB feel to the album.
“He has a new style,” FHS freshman Salma Sanhawy said.“He added more bass and musical instruments that made it better.”
His song “Cry For Me” has a house music vibe before transitioning into a 20-second clip of instrumentals and The Weeknd talking. In this interlude he complains that he cannot sing, due to an incident that happened during a performance in September 2022. During the performance he lost his voice, leading to his inability to sing. This resulted in the concert’s cancellation and his receiving backlash from fans.
The Weeknd has also implemented other transitional songs in the album such as “Until We’re Skin & Bones” which consists of continued instrumentals from the song “São Paulo.” Strategically, each song fades into the next, introducing the same concept of sounds with a different vibe.
“I feel like he thought that out very strategically, and it was perfect,” Lodha said. “You listen to ‘Cry For Me,’ and then it slowly goes into ‘I Can’t F*cking Sing,’ and then it just glides into ‘São Paulo.’ I think that’s so creative as an artist.”
Many fans theorize that the last track on the album gradually fades into the introduction of the first song he ever wrote, “High for this,” signaling to listeners that this album brings his career to a full-circle end. The Weeknd’s trilogy includes the albums “After Hours,” “Dawn FM” and “Hurry Up Tomorrow” where each installment expressed a different theme. His first album in the trilogy, “After Hour” tells us the story of The Weeknd’s romantic relationships and how he led to his own self-destruction. In “Dawn FM,” themes of regret and self reflection are shown. Finally, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” expresses a longing for change and an end to suffering, perfectly closing up the trilogy.
“I thought it was phenomenal, but it was also very heartbreaking, because this is The Weeknd’s last album as ‘The Weeknd,’” Lodha said. “And you could tell that this album, he put his best into it and you could see that, his end remains.”
This album leaves listeners with big questions: who are we as people and what happens when the curtain finally falls? The Weeknd’s music has been a crowd favorite, as listeners are able to feel his raw vulnerability and connect with him. With “Hurry Up Tomorrow” being his last album, many fans are left wondering if this is the end of the Weeknd’s persona.
