On January 31, 2025, R&B artist Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, released his sixth studio album: Hurry Up Tomorrow. The album is the final installment of a trilogy, preceded by After Hours (2020) and Dawn FM (2022). Hurry Up Tomorrow is best classified as a R&B and synth-pop album, but has other influences as well.
Hurry Up Tomorrow features a wide variety of artists, from trap artists Future and Travis Scott to pop star Lana Del Rey. The album has 22 tracks that add up to 84 minutes, 39 seconds, three of which were released as singles. “Timeless,” featuring rapper Playboi Carti, was released in September of 2024 and was a huge hit, peaking at number three on the US Billboard Top 100. “São Paulo” with Brazilian artist Anitta dropped in October 2024, and “Cry For Me” was released as a single after the album on February 4.
Abel has hinted at dropping The Weeknd as his stage name for a few years now, but it seems that he’ll now be Abel Tesfaye for good. NPR quoted his interview with Variety: “It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I just don’t have any more desire for.” It will be interesting to see if he continues to use his alter-ego in the future.
“I definitely like it a lot, especially compared to his other albums,” said Connor Adsit, a senior at New Hartford and avid R&B listener. “I’ve never been a huge Weeknd fan in the past, but Hurry Up Tomorrow definitely changed my mind. The album does a really good job of mixing his [regular] R&B [style] with new styles of music we haven’t seen from him.”
One of these different styles was Brazilian funk, which Abel showcased on “São Paulo,” which happens to be one of Connor’s favorite songs on the album.
“[It] was definitely a surprise for me because [the song sounded odd at the start] but it ended up blending well,” Connor said.
Hurry Up Tomorrow received generally positive reviews in the media, with Pitchfork and Rolling Stone rating it a 7.8/10 and 3.5 out of five stars, respectively.
I’ve listened to some of The Weeknd’s work in the past (not in much depth), but I’m a fan of R&B and saw that this album did well, so I decided to give it a listen. My favorite track was “Cry For Me,” as I loved the production and how Abel seemed to put everything he had into the vocals. I was also a fan of “The Abyss,” featuring Lana Del Rey, with whom Abel has collaborated in the past. I think they work well together, and it was no different here.
There is a film version of Hurry Up Tomorrow expected to release on May 16th of this year. Abel will play a fictional version of himself.
Overall, I thought The Weeknd did a great job with this record. The production and lyrical performance were very solid, which brings me to a 8.5 out of 10 rating for Hurry Up Tomorrow. Connor told me he believes it will be in contention for album of the year, and I have to agree. It was a perfect way to end the trilogy and possibly Abel’s alter-ego.
