The Weeknd is ready to put out more music. On January 7, the 33-year-old Grammy Award winner took to Instagram to tease his upcoming album, which, as he said in a previous interview, is likely going to be his final album as The Weeknd. The famous singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, put out his latest album, Dawn FM, back in January 2022. Fans are ready for new music from The Weeknd — but how much longer do we have to wait for his next album to arrive?
Here is everything you need to know about The Weeknd’s next album.
When Will The Weeknd’s New Album Be Released?
The Weeknd has not confirmed when his sixth studio album is coming out. It’s expected to be released sometime in 2024.
He teased the upcoming record by sharing the album covers to 2020’s After Hours and 2022’s Dawn FM, followed by a third, black slide with a question mark in the middle. He captioned his Instagram post with the number “3.” The Weeknd’s next album will be the final installment in his latest music trilogy that includes his 2020 and 2022 albums. He did the same thing in 2011 with his compilation album Trilogy, made up of his mixtapes House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence.
The Weeknd told W magazine in May 2023 that he’s ready to say goodbye to his music persona after his next album. “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,” the “Blinding Lights” singer said. “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.”
“The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd,” he added. “This is something that I have to do. As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.”
What Is The Weeknd’s New Album Called?
As of January 2024, the Weeknd has yet to confirm the name of the new album.
In February 2023, Tesfaye tweeted that his HBO concert film, Live at SoFi Stadium, would “be the last piece of Dawn FM.” He also added, “I can see the horizon.” With the roll-out ahead of Dawn FM, The Weeknd used a lot of “dawn” imagery, leading some to think his next album will incorporate the word “horizon.”
What Is The Weeknd’s New Album Going To Sound Like?
In January 2023, he spoke with The Hollywood Reporter and said that he was at work on the next project. “I’ve definitely been inspired,” he said. “I’ve been in the studio.”
In April 2023, he went on Instagram Live and played some unreleased music. When a fanpage captured the video and shared it, The Weeknd commented, “By the way, don’t know if the song I played on live will ever see the light of day… we were just jammin out.”
Who Will Feature On The Weeknd’s New Album?
In the past, The Weeknd’s albums have featured appearances by Daft Punk, Lana Del Rey, Kendrick Lamar, and Ed Sheeran. After Hours was strictly a Weeknd-centric project, with no features on the official album. However, Ariana Grande did jump on a remix of “Save Your Tears,” which helped propel it to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Dawn FM had Tyler, The Creator and Lil Wayne on it. Jim Carrey did the album’s narration.
What Songs Are Going To Be On The Weeknd’s Next Album?
The Weeknd doesn’t have any free-floating singles to appear on the album. In 2022, he released the last Dawn FM singles, jumped on Metro Boomin‘s “Creepin’,” and released “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)” from the Avatar: The Way of Water soundtrack. He returned to music in 2023 with “Double Fantasy,” a single from The Idol soundtrack.