Shortly after releasing his surprise new LP, Dawn FM, The Weeknd has returned with a music video for one of the album tracks, “Sacrifice.”
On the song, Abel Tesfaye sings, “I was born in a city/ Where the winter nights don’t ever sleep/ So this life’s always with me/ The ice inside my veins will never bleed.” The video finds Abel strapped to a massive circular device, interacting with a number of strange figures including a character in a red cloak. The record was produced by The Weeknd, Swedish House Mafia, and Max Martin. The video was directed by the duo Cliqua.
The surprise album release began with a compelling trailer for the project and the reveal of the album cover and track list earlier in the week. The album, deemed a “sonic experience” by The Weeknd, showcases a unique cast of features from Tyler, the Creator, Lil Wayne, Quincy Jones, Oneohtrix Point Never, and Jim Carrey.
As a part of the rollout, The Weeknd appeared in “103.5 Dawn FM”, a live stream experience which aired exclusively on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch and in the Amazon Music app. Exclusive merch for the event—including a limited-edition hoodie, t-shirt, and sweatshirt commemorating the live stream— is available now at amazon.com/theweeknd and in the Amazon Music app. Fans will be able to purchase the merch for the next 48 hours.
Dawn FM is the follow-up to 2020’s After Hours. In the interim, however, Abel Tesfaye has released multiple songs, remixes, collaborations, and videos since then and has also starred in and co-written the forthcoming HBO series The Idol. His new album will be his fifth in addition to three mixtapes released in 2011.
The artist had a busy 2021. Besides kickstarting his “new era”, he released a string of collaborative tracks including his “Save Your Tears” remix with Ariana Grande in April; “You Right” with Doja Cat in June; “Better Believe” alongside Belly and Young Thug in July; “Die For It”, once again with Belly as well as Nas, in August; “Moth To A Flame” with Swedish House Mafia in October; and “One Right Now” with Post Malone in November.
