The Weekend’s album ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ is testament to his storytelling
The release of The Weeknd’s new album Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025) on January 31st was the final instalment in his album trilogy. It was the perfect way to symbolise a new phase in Abel Tesfaye’s career, with its multitude of layers and hidden messages.
The album trilogy represents the progression of Abel’s mind state, following the release of his album After Hours in 2020 and then Dawn FM in 2022. The relevance of number three within his work emphasises the full circle effect which Hurry Up Tomorrow generates; Abel released his three mixtapes (House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence) in 2011 and now Hurry Up Tomorrow represents the closing of another trilogy.
No stone is left unturned, the transitions between songs have been carefully planned and thought-out
The Weeknd is known to mix genres, such as R&B, Pop and Hip-Hop. This album is emblematic of his ability to do so, especially with the inclusion of the song ‘São Paulo’, which features Brazilian singer and songwriter Anitta. ‘São Paulo’ incorporates Brazilian Funk into the album. Hurry Up Tomorrow also includes features from artists Justice, Future, Travis Scott, Giorgio Moroder, and Lana Del Rey, as well as Playboi Carti, who is featured on the song ‘Timeless’, which was previously released as an album single on 27th September 2024.
Since first hearing the album, every time I listen I notice another layer to the music. No stone is left unturned, the transitions between songs have been carefully planned and thought-out. There are many links to other songs by The Weeknd and references to various other artists and their work. For example, the opening song (‘Wake Me Up, featuring Justice’) samples both Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ and the main ‘Scarface’ theme tune. The Weeknd’s choice to refer to other iconic songs and artists in an original way demonstrates how iconic he is himself.
Abel has explicitly stated that the persona of The Weeknd does not represent Abel Tesfaye himself, and that this third and final album instalment illustrates the death of this invented character
‘I Can’t F***ing Sing’ is a 12-second snippet which consists of Abel expressing frustration at his inability to sing, which is about a real incident. In 2022 he lost his voice at a concert in Los Angeles, forcing him to cut the concert short after only four songs. This highlights the intense emotion and backstory which lies behind not just this snippet, but the album in general. Indeed, the album represents the close of a chapter in Tesfaye’s career, as well as The Weeknd’s decision to create a strong sense of narrative.
The last song on the album is the title song. ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ is a cover of ‘In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)’ by David Lynch. This implies that the character of The Weeknd has reached heaven. However, the fact that the outro of the song transitions back to ‘High For This’, the opening song on the ‘House of Balloons’ mixtape (The Weeknd’s debut project), potentially points to the concept of reincarnation, as opposed to reaching Heaven. This is an interesting note to end the album on, considering the logical conclusion of the trilogy would appear to be The Weeknd reaching Heaven after purgatory. Regardless, Abel has explicitly stated that the persona of The Weeknd does not represent Abel Tesfaye himself, and that this third and final album instalment illustrates the death of this invented character.
It is clear that his unique musical talent will propel him forward in the industry
The Weeknd’s recent performance at the Grammys on 2nd February was also a momentous occasion for multiple reasons; not only did he perform songs from the newly released Hurry Up Tomorrow, but also the fact that he performed at the Grammys was significant in itself. This is owing to the supposed feud he has with the Grammys, following his claims that they were ‘corrupt’ and not ‘transparent’, after he was not nominated for any of the 2021 awards. Indeed, this was a shock at the time, owing to the immense success of his single ‘Blinding Lights’ and his number one album After Hours. However, the Grammys’ public apology marked the end of his four-year Grammys boycott.
Ultimately, the powerful emotion, storytelling, and creativity that went into the creation of Hurry Up Tomorrow, with its layers and intense depth, is evidence that Abel Tesfaye is not just a pop star. It is clear that his unique musical talent will propel him forward in the industry, even if he has chosen to leave behind the infamous persona of The Weeknd which has brought him so much appreciation, fame, and success so far.
Recommended Listening: ‘Niagara Falls’, ‘Opening Night’
★★★★★
Listen to Hurry Up Tomorrow here:
Comments (1)
Abel is a mastermind in creating story lines and characters in his music! As a great grandmother nearly 70 years old, it is so hard to understand why generally only the younger population even know about him! People from 50 and above need to tune into him and discover not only his angelic voice, but the stories in his music! He is very addicting, and I am obsessed by him!!!