Review: Hurry Up, Tomorrow by The Weeknd
Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd (Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) spent the last decade making his way to the top of the music industry, but 2025 marks the last of The Weeknd, with his final album under the name called ‘Hurry Up, Tomorrow’. The Weeknd emphasized that he isn’t retiring or quitting making music, but that this is going to be the last of using “The Weeknd’s” identity.
“Dawn FM”, his previous album, dropped on January 7, 2022. After almost three years since the release of “Dawn FM”, The Weeknd performed “Cry for Me” and “Timeless” at the 2025 GRAMMYS after boycotting the awards, alleging corruption within its nomination process. These songs appear on “Hurry Up, Tomorrow” which was released on Jan. 31. Not only is there a ‘Hurry Up, Tomorrow’ album, but a film with the same name.
On Feb. 5, The Weeknd released a teaser on his Instagram and the ‘Hurry Up, Tomorrow’ trailer on his Youtube channel. The film will debut in theaters on May 16, 2025. Cast members include The Weeknd himself, Jenna Ortega, Charli D’Amelio and Barry Keoghan. The film isn’t a documentary, but it’s inspired by The Weeknd’s recently released album.
This very special album marks the end of The Weeknd’s existence as The Weeknd or as many have been saying, “The Weeknd’s death.” The album reveals a journey through loneliness, self-hatred and regret that eventually leads The Weeknd to self-acceptance and self-love. Guest features include Travis Scott and Florence and the Machine on “Reflections Laughing,” Lana Del Rey on “The Abyss,” and Playboi Carti on “Timeless.”
What makes this album special is the symbolism that the Weeknd expresses from his entire career within each song on the album. One song that resonates is “Wake me up,” the first song on the album. He uses samples of “Thriller” by Michael Jackson in the song. It was a shocker, but it makes sense in the context, as The Weeknd has explicitly stated that Michael Jackson was his inspiration for making music. This particular intro song has a meaning of doubt, personal trauma, and emotional paralysis when it comes to facing inner demons.
Another song that was a personal favorite was “Cry for Me.” It has a very somber tone, but the tone mixed with the haunting vocals and striking storytelling is fantastic. This song is specifically tied to the feeling of regret, isolation and something even deeper. Even though someone is famous doesn’t distract them from their past. The Weeknd has emotional songs that can do in depth, but this song feels so raw in a personal and great manner.
At 84 minutes long, this album is one of The Weeknd’s longest albums yet. Even though this album took 2 whole years to be made, being a fan of The Weeknd’s music this album was definitely worth the wait. Just the personal raw balance between moral themes and the somber storytelling hits this album, so much more than the usual album’s The Weeknd has made. It hits so much harder when you realize that this is the last of the The Weeknd persona. I absolutely enjoyed listening to this album, and the last part of the latest trilogy. This is a good way to end the “The Weeknd” persona. His consistent, intentional execution of callbacks to earlier moments from his career have made “Hurry Up Tomorrow” a compelling closing chapter for The Weeknd.
