Abel Tesfaye, better known by his stage name The Weeknd, released his new album on Jan. 31, titled “Hurry Up Tomorrow”. According to the singer, this marked the third and final installment of a trilogy of albums—the previous two being “After Hours” (2020) and “Dawn FM” (2022).
Featuring iconic artists such as Lana Del Rey and Florence + the Machine, the 22-track record delivered a powerful message about the transience of the music industry and Tesfaye’s longing for change. Each track flowed seamlessly into the next, almost as if arranged to be experienced consecutively.
The album opened with “Wake Me Up,” a haunting mix of R&B bass and eerily harmonized vocals. Tesfaye set the tone of the entire project with this track, wrestling with feelings of loneliness and identity. “No afterlife, no other side,” his voice echoed. “I’m all alone when it fades to black.”
“Wake Me Up” ended with an impressive high note that carried statically into the next pivotal track. Track two captured a defining moment in Tesfaye’s career: on the final night of his 2022 “After Hours Til Dawn” tour, he lost his singing voice in front of 80,000 fans.
“My voice had never failed me before,” he said in an interview with Variety. “I was defeated on the world stage with everyone watching.”
“Every time I hit the road it takes a little piece of me…” Tesfaye sang in track two. “You always gave me sympathy, now you’re over me.”
This second track marked a turning point for Tesfaye—the moment that shifted his view on fame and success. Similarly, track 21, “Without a Warning,” echoed that same sense of loss:
“But now my bones are frail, and my voice fails,” Tesfaye lamented. “The crowd will scream, the crowd will scream my name… Hope you love me till my final day.” A constant layer of crowd cheers underscored the track, paired with an ominous bassline.
With the source of his four-time Grammy-winning success stripped away, Tesfaye continued to reflect on the state of his soul.
“Baptized in Fear,” track six, carried a mournful tone as he sang about drowning in fear, unable to call for help, and scrambling to “remember everything that my preacher said.” He described shadows laughing at his pain.
“Like Paul, I’m the chief of sin,” he sang, referencing 1 Timothy 1:15. “Washing my soul within.” Aware of his brokenness, Tesfaye acknowledged that the applause and fame were not enough to fill the God-shaped hole in his heart.
“Give Me Mercy,” in particular, read like a plea for forgiveness. Set against a Lo-fi, hopeful rhythm, Tesfaye sang:
“Every time I lost my way, I lost my faith in You… Give me mercy like You do and forgive me like You do. Hope that You see me when I’m depleted.”
The final title track, “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” felt like a letter to God. Written solely by Tesfaye, the song slowed down with a soulful keyboard accompaniment.
“Wash me with Your fire, who else has to pay for my sins?” he wrote. “And I hope that I find what I’m looking for, I hope that He’s watching from up above.”
The song closed the album with a cry of hope and a longing for peace: “I hope this confession is enough… I wanna change.”
Tesfaye voiced this desire for transformation in his Variety interview, revealing that his time as The Weeknd was nearing its end.
“You have a persona, but then you have the competition of it all,” he said. “It becomes this rat race: more accolades, more success, more shows, more albums, more awards and more No. 1s. It never ends until you end it.”
While Tesfaye plans to continue his music career, he hinted that it would no longer be under the name The Weeknd.
With warbling vocal effects, layered synth bass and deeply personal lyrics, “Hurry Up Tomorrow” explored Tesfaye’s journey through losing his voice, wrestling with mental and spiritual struggle, and realizing his need for redemption.
The album emphasized the fleeting nature of fame and spotlighted the soul’s need for restoration and purpose. “Hurry Up Tomorrow” left listeners questioning the satisfaction that Hollywood promises.
For Christians, that answer is clear: God’s forgiveness, granted through the restorative work of His Son, offers the ultimate satisfaction and purpose. Believers know that only God can satisfy the soul’s deepest need—one that will be fulfilled when He unites us to Himself forever.
