Goodbye, Starboy: The Weeknd’s Final Act Begins

Abel Tesfaye says goodbye to His Alter Ego. After a decade of dancing in blinding lights - the end arrived. Finishing with a last album, a movie and world tour.

This month marks the end of an era. The final chapter of one of music’s most iconic personas: The Weeknd. On May 9, 2025, Abel Tesfaye kicks off his final stadium tour under the name that made him a global phenomenon. His last chapter is titled ‘Hurry up tomorrow´. He’s closing his legacy with an album, a world tour and a movie. The 2025 run begins through stadiums across the U.S. and continues in 2026, all over the world. It’s the last time we’ll see The Weeknd as we’ve come to know him since 2011.

His final album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, was released on January 31, 2025 and closes a trilogy that began with 2020’s After Hours and continued with 2022’s Dawn FM. If After Hours and Dawn FM was chaos, then Hurry Up Tomorrow is the quiet room after the storm. An emotionally charged, cinematic project full of self-reflection and sonic evolution. Featuring collaborations like Lana Del Rey and Future, the album pulses between different genres, creating a unique sound, typical for The Weeknd. With this album he returns to his emotional center: the fragility of being human, inside and outside the spotlight.

The Price of Being Sad for a Living: Abel Tesfaye’s Final Exit as The Weeknd

The final act unfolds right now in real time, as his world tour srtarted. Even if you’re not in the stadium, you can’t miss it, because the internet is already glowing with clips, outfits, tears and euphoria. His last After Hours Tour in 2023 was a cultural moment on its own, and this one? It’s shaping up to be a full-circle moment. The energy is electric, the expectations high. This isn’t just a tour - it’s a closing ceremony. And his finale isn’t only confined to music. On May 16, Tesfaye also released his first feature film, Hurry Up Tomorrow, a psychological thriller directed by Trey Edward Shults. Shults’s work is characterized by its emotional depth, innovative storytelling, and has a focus on the complexities of human relationships. In the film, Abel Tesfaye plays an insomniac musician spiraling through a surreal emotional odyssey. With co-stars Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan, the film blurs the line between art and autobiography, music and madness, legacy and letting go.

Across the world, cities hosted fan premieres that felt more like mini-concerts: crowds singing, dancing, celebrating every era of his music before the lights even dimmed.The film itself? It’s very Abel. Genre-bending, mood-shifting, never staying in one lane. It’s not an album movie, but his music is everywhere - from deep cuts to chart-toppers. And for fans, that’s half the joy. You’re not just watching a film. You’re singing along, catching every reference, feeling the pulse of a decade-long career woven into the soundtrack. It’s intimate, personal and plays with contrast: It’s mood over plot. Experience over clarity. Loud and chaotic, then painfully quiet. High-gloss fantasy, then raw reality. At its core, Hurry Up Tomorrow is a thank you. A love letter. A way for Abel to close the chapter with his fans, on his terms. 

After Hours Are Over: Why The Weeknd Had to Burn Himself Down 

In a recent interview, Abel Tesfaye finally said the quiet part out loud. The reason behind closing the chapter of The Weeknd isn’t just artistic evolution. For years, the music industry glorified his vulnerability. The Weeknd became synonymous with heartbreak anthems, emotional toxicity and self-destructive narratives. But what fans saw as raw and relatable, came with a personal cost.

“The industry pushes you to feel those emotions,” Tesfaye explained. “To make good art, you’re expected to live inside the sadness. To break yourself a little, every time.” The idea of heartbreak as content. Trauma as productivity. “When you’re in your 20s, you don’t question it. But I don’t want to be in my 40s and 50s still doing that to myself.”

Now, with his final album, tour and this cinematic goodbye, he’s choosing to step outside the character before it consumes him completely. This isn’t a rebrand. This is release. For fans, it’s bittersweet. We’re saying goodbye to the version of him we grew up with but we’re also witnessing an artist refuse to be trapped by his own legend. The Starboy who built a universe is going to burn it down. Welcome to the final act.

Lareen Roth