Fans can officially stop writing goodbye posts. Abel Tesfaye told GQ Hong Kong that The Weeknd isn’t retiring, describing this moment as a period of“hibernating”rather than an ending. He had considered closing the project after 2025’s“Hurry Up Tomorrow”completed his trilogy, but ultimately decided that walking away would waste the inspiration he still has. His words: he caught a glimpse of what retirement looks like, and it isn’t for him.
The timing makes sense.“Hurry Up Tomorrow”earned a four-star review from NME, and his final tour show on August 19 wrapped a run that included two nights at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium in June. Those ticket sales raised $350,000 for the UN World Food Programme and Global Citizen, supporting the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund and his own XO Humanitarian Fund. Not a bad way to hit pause.
So what’s next? No album announcement yet, but fans are still holding out hope for that unreleased Kavinsky collaboration. Either way, the story isn’t over.
What do you want The Weeknd to do next: new album, surprise single, or a full reinvention?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.