The Weeknd‘s new album Hurry Up Tomorrow is already earning plaudits — but not just because of his famous falsetto or its star-studded supporting cast.
Released on Friday (January 31) after a slight delay due to the recent L.A. wildfires, the 22-track musical odyssey serves as the final installment in the Canadian singer’s trilogy following 2020’s After Hours and 2022’s Dawn FM (2022).
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It might also be The Weeknd’s final release, period, having been billed as his last album under his stage name, a swan song to one of the defining acts of the last decade.
This bittersweet fact is referenced on the album itself, with the closing track “Hurry Up Tomorrow” ending in the same way that “High For This” — the opening song on his debut mixtape House of Balloons from 2011 — begins.
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Played together, the two tracks flow seamlessly into each other, essentially brining The Weeknd’s 14-year career full circle.
“Last track on #HurryUpTomorrow transitioning to the first track The Weeknd ever made with High For This, absolutely insane,” remarked one fan in a viral post on X (formerly Twitter).
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“The weeknd’s final transition into high for this was the perfect way to end the album,” another said of the sonic easter egg.
A third impressed fan gushed: “If you became a fan of The Weeknd in 2011-2014 the end of Hurry Up Tomorrow transitioning back into High For This HITS EXTRA DEEEEP.”
Last track on #HurryUpTomorrow transitioning to the first track The Weeknd ever made with High For This, absolutely insane. pic.twitter.com/VO6biGruDt
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) January 31, 2025
If you became a fan of The Weeknd in 2011-2014 the end of Hurry Up Tomorrow transitioning back into High For This HITS EXTRA DEEEEP pic.twitter.com/ZtJc1sEtJp
— jamie 🌻 (@hyghforthis) January 31, 2025
The Weeknd first hinted at retiring his stage name in 2023, saying in an interview with W magazine : “I’m going through a cathartic path right now. It’s getting to a place and a time where I’m getting ready to close the Weeknd chapter.
“I’ll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as The Weeknd. But I still want to kill The Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I’m definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn.”
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He added: “The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd. This is something that I have to do. As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.”
Speaking to Variety earlier this month prior to the release of Hurry Up Tomorrow, the Toronto native explained the reasoning behind his decision.
“[I am closing the chapter] on my existence as the Weeknd. It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I just don’t have any more desire for,” he admitted.
“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: more accolades, more success, more shows, more albums, more awards and more number ones. It never ends until you end it.”
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Hurry Up Tomorrow boasts (so far uncredited) appearances from a host of big names including Future, Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, Lana Del Rey, Florence and the Machine and Anitta.
Behind the boards, the album’s expansive, cinematic sound is constructed by the likes of Metro Boomin, Mike Dean, Pharrell, Max Martin and Oneohtrix Point Never, as well as The Weeknd himself.
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The project will be supported by a movie of the same name, hitting theaters on May 16, along with a North American stadium tour that kicks off on May 9.
Check out the dates for the tour, which also promises performances from Playboi Carti and Mike Dean, below. Tickets go on sale next Friday (February 7) at 10 a.m. via The Weeknd’s website.
May 9 — Phoenix, AZ @ State Farm Stadium
May 24 — Detroit, MI @ Ford Field
May 30 — Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field Stadium
Jun 05 — East Rutherford, NJ @ MetLife Stadium
Jun 10 — Foxborough, MA @ Gillette Stadium
Jun 14 — Minneapolis, MN @ U.S. Bank Stadium
Jun 21 — Denver, CO @ Empower Field at Mile High
Jun 25 — Inglewood, CA @ SoFi Stadium (without Playboi Carti)
Jun 26 — Inglewood, CA @ SoFi Stadium (without Playboi Carti)
Jul 5 — Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium
Jul 8 — Santa Clara, CA @ Levi’s Stadium
Jul 12 — Seattle, WA @ Lumen Field
Jul 15 — Vancouver, BC @ BC Place
Jul 19 — Edmonton, AB @ Commonwealth Stadium
Jul 24 — Montréal, QC @ Parc Jean Drapeau
Jul 27 — Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
Jul 28 — Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
Jul 30 — Philadelphia, PA @ Lincoln Financial Field
Aug 2 — Landover, MD @ Northwest Stadium
Aug 12 — Nashville, TN @ Nissan Stadium
Aug 15 — Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium
Aug 21 — Atlanta, GA @ Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Aug 24 — Orlando, FL @ Camping World Stadium
Aug 27 — Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium
Aug 30 — Houston, TX @ NRG Stadium
Sep 3 — San Antonio, TX @ Alamodome
