The Weeknd confirms he’s ‘finishing’ new album

The Weeknd has said that he’s “finishing” his new album and will share its title “soon”.

The soloist said that the album will complete “the third part of this saga” following the release of 2020’s After Hours and 2022’s Dawn FM.

He told Variety: “I’m finishing the third part of this saga, of this trilogy. The name of it will come out soon, but it’s not called what some fans think it’s called… what they think it’s called is actually a song on the album, but that’s not what the actual album is called [some fans speculated that it would be titled ‘After Life’]. So I’m just gonna say that.”

It’s not known exactly when The Weeknd – real name Abel Tesfaye – will announce the album’s title and release date.

The Weeknd is currently on the final leg of his international ‘After Hours Til Dawn Tour’. He explained to Variety that he’s been performing largely in the daylight because it is “easier to connect” with fans.

“The performances are mostly in the daytime, so I get to see the audience,” he said. “It’s easier to connect with their eyes and feels a bit more intimate, so instead of a performance, it feels like more of a conversation with them.”

He added: “Every night I’m changing up the set — I never do that, it’s usually very formulaic — so I’m spicing it up and going into deep, deep, deep cuts and older songs. I’ll rehearse it the day-of, and if the band is down, we’ll just throw a mini-set in there… I feel very free and in control, and I’m having much more fun.”

In other news, earlier this year the singer reached a settlement for copyright infringement over his 2018 track ‘Call Out My Name’ before the lawsuit could go to trial.

Suniel Fox and Henry Strange, members of the electro duo Epikker, filed their lawsuit in September 2021 and alleged that ‘Call Out My Name’ from The Weeknd’s 2018 EP My Dear Melancholy plagiarised the vocal hook and lead guitar from their unreleased song ‘Vibeking’.

More recently, Tesfaye defended a viral sex scene in episode two of The Idol, insisting that it’s not meant to be sexy and is instead a reflection of his “loser” character, Tedros.