The Weeknd drops 'Cry For Me' music video; third from album Hurry Up Tomorrow

Shortly after his surprise appearance and standout performance at the Grammys, The Weeknd (Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) released his sixth studio album, Hurry Up Tomorrow. Unsurprisingly, the album had the biggest opening week of the year so far. What is of note is that it marked The Weeknd’s biggest debut week (including his previous five-album run) of his already illustrious career.

As the roll-out for his new project continues, he dropped a music video for ‘Cry for Me,' a standout tune from his fresh release. The video is raw and emotionally charged, a side of the artist that fans have come to truly embrace over the years.

Hurry Up Tomorrow

His 22-song album features many special guests over its extended runtime. The list of collaborators boasts artists from a variety of genres with varying vocal styles, including Travis Scott, Florence + the Machine, Future, Lana Del Rey, and Playboi Carti. Giorgio Moroder, a pioneer producer also makes an appearance.

The Weeknd’s latest work is also set to receive a film adaption which will be distributed by Lionsgate. Directed by Trey Edward Shults, the film follows “a musician plagued by insomnia who gets pulled into a nightmarish odyssey with a stranger who begins to unravel the very core of his existence.” It will star Jenna Ortega, Barry Keoghan, and Abel himself and feature music from its eponymous album.

Future

It’s not yet clear what the future holds for Abel, but it looks like this will be The Weeknd’s last hurrah. In an interview with Variety, he addressed retiring the alias with Hurry Up Tomorrow, which he sees as the final part of a trilogy that started with After Hours and Dawn FM.

“It’s a headspace I’ve gotta get into that I just don’t have any more desire for. You have a persona, but then you have the competition of it all. 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.”

He elaborated, and put that statement in the context of his musical career as a whole:

“I don’t think I can stop doing [music],” he said. “But everything needs to feel like a challenge. And for me right now, the Weeknd, whatever that is, it’s been mastered. No one’s gonna do the Weeknd better than me, and I’m not gonna do it better than what it is right now. I think I’ve overcome every challenge as this persona, and that’s why I’m really excited about this film, because I love this challenge.”

Do you think Abel can reinvent and take his career in a new direction? Sound off in the comments below.