The Weeknd’s next music era is coming, and we are more than ready to hear what he has in store! Following the release of After Hours in 2020, the singer has been slowly giving us peeks of his upcoming fifth album over the past year. During an acceptance speech at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards in May, he alluded to new music by simply stating: “The dawn is coming.” On Monday, he shared a teaser for the upcoming era titled “The Dawn Is Coming” on YouTube, which offered nearly two minutes of a new track. On Monday, in a Tokyo Olympics promo featuring American track and field stars, he teased that his single “Take My Breath” would be released on Friday.
Though The Weeknd hasn’t officially confirmed a title or release date for his fifth album, it already sounds like a total blast. In an interview with GQ published on Monday, the singer said, “It’s the album I’ve always wanted to make.” Better yet, GQ editor Mark Anthony Green noted that the album is “packed with party records.” “[It’s] Quincy Jones meets Giorgio Moroder meets the best-night-of-your-f*cking-life party records,” Green said of the songs. “Not anachronistic disco stuff. . . . That sort of retro thing is having a moment right now in pop music, but these records are new. Sweaty. Hard. Drenched-suit, grinding-on-the-girl/boy-of-your-dreams party records.” As we patiently wait for more details from The Weeknd himself, watch the first teaser for his new era ahead.