The Weeknd Drops More Cryptic Clues, Hinting at a New Album

Last August, The Weeknd hinted to W Magazine that he would one day “close The Weeknd chapter.” That day is not today — or any day in the foreseeable future. It appears he is on the verge of unfolding a lengthy new era.

On Wednesday, July 24, The Weeknd posted a screenshot of his own X (formerly Twitter) post, reading, “some chapters are smaller than others. not this next one though…” The global sensation, born Abel Tesfaye, reposted this to his Instagram Story, along with a cryptic screenshot of the same animated character he has been teasing, captioned, “Don’t stare too long.”

The broad (and likely correct) assumption is that The Weeknd is hinting at the third album in the After Hours / Dawn FM trilogy. In January 2022, The Weeknd confirmed he was in the process of crafting a trilogy. Last week, he reposted a fan’s comment stating this trilogy is “already better” than his 2011 trilogy of House Of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes Of Silence.

The cryptic teasing technically started earlier this month when The Weeknd posted a close-up of a child’s eyes. It became undeniable when he announced a one-off concert in São Paulo, Brazil on September 7. This was followed by a video showing After Hours Weeknd and Dawn FM Weeknd before introducing a new character: a young boy, presumably young Abel, crouched and surrounded by spooky characters. “There are three chapters to this tale,” the screen reads.

On Tuesday, July 23, The Weeknd posted another teaser video with the new protagonist, captioned, “When you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you…”

See The Weeknd’s posts below: