The Dawn

The Weeknd Continues To Tease His New Era With A Cryptic Tweet

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After cleaning up with a whopping ten wins at the Billboard Music Awards last Sunday — you hear that, Grammys? — The Weeknd is doubling down on his promise that new era is coming. Though the R&B superstar didn’t even get to tour behind his most successful album yet, due to the blight that was COVID-19 on 2020 live events, he’s already unveiling a new concept anyway. After teasing the new era as “The Dawn” in one of his many acceptance speeches at the BBMAs, Abel hopped on Twitter this afternoon to double down on his promise.

“Ladies and gentleman, the…” he wrote, a cryptic teaser that had fans quickly filling in the blank: “Dawn is coming.”

Of course, it’s also a reference to a now-beloved SNL meme, when Daniel Craig introduced the star on the show. So do with it what you will!

Tesfaye’s After Hours era was a dark one punctuated by his constant red suit and facial injuries and bandages, a visual shtick that kept fans guessing as to how he’d show up to public events. If the “Save Your Tears” performance at the Billboard Music Awards was any indication, that visual is now down. His crips black suit with a long trench was the new look, and even if Ariana didn’t join him for the BBMAs performance, her appearance at his iHeartRadio Music Awards for their new remix was another indication that the pair might have more new music in the works. This was Ari’s first appearance after her secret at-home wedding, so it’s a big deal that she made it out on that stage.

Whether The Dawn era includes Ari or not, it’s definitely coming soon. And new music from The Weeknd is the perfect way to head back into festival season.

The Weeknd Teased New Music For A New Era During The Billboard Music Awards

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The Weeknd is known for creating a new aesthetic and era for each album he’s released since his breakout project, House Of Balloons. The latest example came with his 2020 full-length effort, After Hours. From the red suit to his “injured” face wrapped in bandages, The Weeknd did an excellent job of defining the moments that came with his fourth album. However, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end and The Weeknd confirmed that the After Hours era is indeed over during the 2021 Billboard Music Awards. This announcement also came with exciting, yet vague news for fans.

While accepting the award for Top Hot 100 Song, The Weeknd used his speech to tease what’s to come. “The After Hours are done and the dawn is coming,” he declared. It’s very much possible that the singer just revealed the title of his fifth album to be The Dawn, but we’ll have to wait for him to confirm that. Regardless, it’s exciting to see that The Weeknd is already teasing fans with new music for a new era.

This is not the first time The Weeknd has hinted at new music in recent months. At the end of April, the singer shared a string of tweets that looked to build up excitement for the upcoming album. “Made so much magic in the small quarantined room,” he wrote in one tweet before adding, “nothing’s ever random… now just piecing it all together… it’s so beautiful.”

You can watch a clip of his speech above.