The Weeknd Previews New Music With Cryptic Album Teaser: Watch

The Weeknd loves intrigue. He built his persona on being mysterious back in 2011. He’s continued to play with his image in shows like The Idol, and his various musical personas. The singer’s newest album looks to provide fans with more of the same. The Weeknd dropped a three-minute video on August 5, which is packed with nightmarish visuals and cryptic messages. We already know the Canadian superstar has a new album on the way, but the trailer fleshes out the upcoming concept, while at the same time giving fans a taste of new music.

Right away, the teaser feels unsettling. A little boy stands in front of a house while a storm forms above him. The boy eventually makes his way into the house. Once inside, though, things don’t get any less tense. The Weeknd’s presumed younger self can be seen walking through the house, which appears to be abandoned. Clothes are strewn about on the floor, and an ominous mood lingers, as though whoever lived there experienced something tragic. A surreal transition takes the boy to a church, where he looks into a mirror. A hooded woman who appeared earlier in the video cradles him, in a surprising instance of peace. All the while, an unreleased song by The Weeknd provides the soundtrack.

The Weeknd posted the video on Instagram and Twitter with the caption: “unprepared certainty.” There’s definitely a dark connotation to the phrase, however it will apply to the album. The teaser makes it seem as though the singer is going to dig into his psyche more than ever, which tracks given the narrative role it’s supposed to play within his so-called trilogy. The upcoming album is said to be the third chapter in a trilogy that started with After Hours and continued with Dawn FM. Abel Tesfaye alluded to this structure way back in 2022. “I wonder,” he wrote on Twitter. “Did you know you’re experiencing a new trilogy?”

The Weeknd expanded on the concept of the trilogy during a 2023 interview with W Magazine. He not only said that he would be completing the story of his last three albums, but the “Weeknd” persona as fans know it. “The album I’m working on now is probably my last hurrah as The Weeknd,” he revealed. “This is something that I have to do. As The Weeknd, I’ve said everything I can say.” We can only hope Tesfaye continues to make music under a different name. That said, we’re excited for the grand finale.