The Weeknd is back with a new album and a new face.
via Page Six:
The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, released a teaser for his forthcoming album, “Dawn FM,” on Monday, and it shows the 31-year-old looking much older than his years.
In the one-minute clip, Tesfaye is seen with obvious special effects to age his face with wrinkles and gray hair.
“A new sonic universe from the mind of The Weeknd,” reads text in the video for the album, which will drop on Jan. 7. The album will include collaborations with Quincy Jones, Lil Wayne, Oneohtrix Point Never and Tyler, the Creator.
The teaser also notes, mysteriously, that Jim Carrey is part of the album, too. While it’s unclear how the actor will be involved, The Weeknd told GQ that Carrey, 59, showed up to his 30th birthday celebration and the pair have become pals.
“On my 30th birthday, he surprised me,” he told the magazine. “He just pulled up to my crib and took me to breakfast. He lived literally like two buildings down from me. He had a telescope, and I had a telescope. He was like, ‘Where do you live? What floor do you live on?’ I was like, ‘Blah, blah, blah.‘ And we looked out the windows on our telescopes and we could see each other.”
Elsewhere in the video, the singer is seen looking like his usual self wearing a sleek leather suit, but being dragged away by cryptic cloaked figures.
“You are now listening to 103.5 Dawn FM,” a voice says as The Weeknd is approached by another figure in a red cloak. “You’ve been in the dark for way too long. It’s time to walk into the light and accept your fate with open arms.”
“Music can heal and that feels more important than another album rollout,” he wrote in an Instagram postlast week. “Let’s just drop the whole thing and enjoy it with the people.”
The album is a follow-up to “After Hours,” which was released in 2020 and included bizarre concepts including a bloody visage that he wore many times in public as well as a mug that appeared to be altered with plastic surgery — achieved through prosthetics.
In August, the singer released “Take My Breath” — his first track since “After Hours” — which was pulled from theaters due to seizure concerns. He followed that up with collaborations with FKA Twigs (“Tears in the Club”), Swedish House Mafia (“Moth To A Flame“), Rosalía (“La Fama”), Post Malone (“One Right Now”) and Ariana Grande, remixing her song “Save Your Tears.”
Watch the trailer below.
