After a bunch of not-so-subtle hints, it looks like The Weeknd is ready to kick off his post-After Hours era. He teased nearly two minutes of new music in a video yesterday, and now he’s unveiled even more of the song. Furthermore, he revealed that it’s called “Take My Breath” and that it’s set to drop this Friday, August 6.
The song scores a new ad for NBC’s coverage of the 2020 Olympics, specifically some track and field events. Although the ad reveals the name of the song, compared to the previous teaser, it’s a less substantial preview of the actual music, although it shows off what sounds like the hook, which the teaser did not.
8.6.21 new single … #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter.com/6KPDHV1L1m
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) August 3, 2021
In an interview from last September, The Weeknd indicated that the album he was working on at the time was cinematic in nature, saying, “I’m guilty of wanting to outdo my last album, but it’s never like, ‘I’ve got to do the same type of song.’ I’m so happy I’m not like that. My palette is so wide. […] I’m trying to find a perfect balance with the film and the music, and so far it’s going really well. I think I might have cracked the code.”
Check out the ad above.