For fans of the world renowned music star The Weeknd, Friday, Jan 31, 2025 could not have arrived any faster. At the end of Jan. 2025, the artist released his sixth and final studio album under his persona as The Weeknd. Titled “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” the album marks the end of an era for many, and also concludes a three album trilogy. While The Weeknd has hinted he will continue making music under his legal name “Abel Tesfaye,” it is unclear what path he will really take.
The 22 track project runs about 1 hour and 25 minutes, and covers a wide variety of genres. “I thought that the album had too many songs. I feel like 22 songs is just too many. There were a couple good songs, like “Sao Paulo” for example. But I felt like it did not need 22 songs,” Isaac Kleinman, a junior at Berkeley High School, said. Within the album, The Weeknd experiments with different sounds and feelings. “The album is not really hip hop but more like R&B. It also kind of felt like Soul,” Kleinman said. But these are not the only new styles The Weeknd explores in this album.
“The album is very electronic, but it still has the retro vibe. He brings in a lot of 80s sounds,” Alina Kennedy, a freshman at BHS, said. Giorgio Moroder, widely known as the father of Electronic Dance Music, appears on three different songs, and his influence is evident. Collaboration with Brazilian artist “Anita” adds hints of Brazilian funk into the album, as seen on the track “Sao Paulo.”
For many, combining these many genres would be a tightrope to walk, but not for the musical genius of Abel Tesfaye. “It was a really good album because it was a super cohesive project. All of the songs tied together really well, and I felt that it had a different feeling from his other albums,” Kennedy said.
The Weeknd’s other albums in the trilogy (After Hours and Dawn FM), tell stories of heartbreak, despair, and healing. In Hurry Up Tomorrow, Tesfaye also touches on the adversity he faced on tour in 2023.
“I think Hurry Up Tomorrow is different because his other works have told stories but not in the same way as this one,” Kennedy said. “It goes through his feelings and emotions after what happened at SoFi where he had to stop singing, so I think that’s something cool about this album compared to his others,” Kennedy added.
During his tour in 2023, The Weeknd ended his set in Los Angeles just two songs in after losing his voice. He later stated that his voice likely went out due to stress and “self imposed pressures,” but his vocal cords were actually healthy.
However, the changes in topic and genre in his newest album have not been welcomed by all fans. “I feel like some of the songs were questionable because it was a new style for him and I wasn’t sure if I liked it,” Kayla Topel, a BHS junior, said. “I personally like his older music the best. I don’t think he’s necessarily gotten worse, but I think that the way that he’s advanced how he makes his music, and it isn’t what I’m into. … Like it’s more interesting to listen to and there’s more variety, whereas a lot of his old songs kind of sounded the same. But my personal opinion is that his older albums are better.”
Fans will be able to enjoy The Weeknd’s new album on his new “After Hours Til Dawn tour.” Hitting major venues all across the United States and Canada, he will be able to say goodbye to fans before stepping away from his persona and returning to his roots as Abel Tesfaye.