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Abel Tesfaye, also known as The Weeknd, is ready to debut the final chapter of his popular album trilogy.
On Wednesday, September 4, the Grammy award-winning artist shared a new trailer ahead of his upcoming LP Hurry Up Tomorrow. The video displays a message from Abel in which he describes his thoughts about where he's at in his career and provides a hint about the trilogy's grand finale.
"Yesterday was fourteen years ago," he begins. "We held our breath, falling into a shimmering sea in the after hours of the night... attempted to cleanse the wounds with melodies and lights, a bulletproof bandage to shield what lies beneath."
"In a place where the seasons never changed, where time ceased to exist. But therein lays the problem," he continues. "Today has felt like an endless spin. I keep distorting the truth, immune to the dizziness, numb to the nausea. What lies beneath — screams in silence. I look in the mirror and feel both old and new, stuck in limbo and unable to move. I still haven't faced myself. More songs could help, but what do I have left to say? Woe is me in my gilded cage, right?"
Toward the end of the trailer, Tesfaye reflects on a traumatic event that happened to him on the world stage. He may be referring to the horrifying moment when he lost his voice just a few songs into his second sold-out show at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles during his "After Hours Tour" in 2022. He was forced to stop the concert, refund fans, and reschedule the show for a later date.
"The very thing that once made me invincible failed me on the world stage," he concludes. "A new trauma surfaced, opening floodgates. A new path awaits. When today ends, I'll discover who I am."
Tesfaye ends the video by confirming the title of his next project Hurry Up Tomorrow. The follow-up to After Hours and Dawn FM "represents the creative apex" of his trilogy and has "existential and self-referential themes" according to a press release. He revealed the title as his creepy experience inside Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood begins. The trailer arrived a few days before his anticipated concert in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The show will be live-streamed on YouTube on September 7 at 8 p.m. EST.