The Weeknd—born Abel Tesfaye, the man behind the music scene, has been residing in our consciousness for over a decade. The man, the myth, the vibe is finally putting to rest his infamous Weeknd persona and if you aren’t pumped (or upset) about it, what are you doing? The billboards, which by the way creepily read "End of an era", are already up in New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, and Atlanta.
The Weeknd is set to deliver his final album Hurry Up Tomorrow which will be released on January 24, 2025. So make sure to put this into the calendar, postpone all other events, and assemble your favorite playlists. It’s the final track of a trilogy that kicked off with After Hours (2020) and continued with Dawn FM (2022), so you can only imagine how it’s going to feel.
Here’s how the internet is reacting to the billboard A news: An X user humorously said: "If I didn’t know that was from the weekend, that’d freak me out."
Another user said: "Conspiracy mfs are gonna see this and think the end of the world is actually near."
A comment read: "Take them down pls the schizophrenic people will think something else of it."
Another comment read: "Imagine having no idea what's going on and you see this billboard."
Citing Phoebe Bridgers' 2020 song lyrics, a user said: "So…. the billboard said… the end is near?"
A user wrote: "I just don’t think this is good for my mental health."
"This is not okay for my depression, Abel", another user wrote.
The Weeknd’s final goodbye
The Weeknd has already blessed us with three singles:
- Dancing in the Flames
- Timeless featuring Playboi Carti — this one’s been dominating TikTok and hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- São Paulo with Anitta
This project is doubling as a psychological thriller film of the same name. Directed by Trey Edward Shults, this dark melodrama stars the face of the song Starboy – The Weeknd himself, Jenna Ortega (yes Wednesday herself), and Barry Keoghan. Include a score by The Weeknd and Daniel Lopatin and you get an epitome of what makes a movie magical.
Back in 2023, Abel told W Magazine that he was ready to “kill The Weeknd.” He’s closing this chapter of his career, but don’t panic — he’s not dipping out of music entirely. He 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”.
The Weeknd’s career so far
Rewind to the beginning, and The Weeknd’s journey feels like the ultimate underdog-to-legend story. Back in 2009, he dropped tracks on YouTube anonymously.
By 2011, his mixtapes were the talk of Tumblr (and every indie kid’s playlist). Fast forward to 2013’s Kiss Land and 2015’s Beauty Behind the Madness (remember Can’t Feel My Face? Instant classic), and Abel was already shaping the future of pop and R&B.
But After Hours and Dawn FM? That’s when The Weeknd truly unlocked the cheat codes. Blinding Lights became the song of the decade, breaking records. Plus, let’s not forget his Coachella set with Swedish House Mafia or his surreal Super Bowl halftime show.
He’s dipped his toes into acting, philanthropy, and breaking Spotify records (the first artist to hit 100 million monthly listeners).
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