Is this the end of the line for The Weeknd? Since 2011, Abel Tesfaye has been releasing a very specific, electric style of music that is uniquely his own. And, as many fans know, The Weeknd combines elements of performance art and narrative storytelling into his music. Now, it seems that this specific story may be coming to an end. On Jan. 30, 2025, The Weeknd dropped his highly anticipated album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, and the last track, combined with some comments he’s made in interviews, really suggests that this is some kind of ending to this very specific stretch of music.

Speaking to Variety weeks before the new album dropped, Tesfaye made it clear that he never wants to stop making music in general. But, he did hint that he may be getting ready to retire his persona as The Weeknd, saying, “But everything needs to feel like a challenge. And for me right now, the Weeknd, whatever that is, it’s been mastered.”

The titular last song on the new 22-track album, “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” seems to confirm the finality he’s already been hinting at. Not only does the song have the lyrics “I’m ready for the end” and “I hope I find what I’m looking for,” but it also ends with a very familiar soundscape.

After “Hurry Up Tomorrow” concludes, the final sonic assertion is the exact same introduction as The Weeknd’s song “High For This,” which was the first track on his first mixtape, House of Balloons, in 2011. So, with the final moments of “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” The Weeknd is concluding his album the same way he began his first one.

Coming full circle seems to be the clearest way The Weeknd can say it. Earlier this month, he said that the only person who can control his destiny is himself. “It never ends until you end it,” he said. And not it seems that’s exactly what he’s done. The Weeknd’s story is (seemingly) over. Long live The Weeknd.

Hurry Up Tomorrow, the album is out now. But, a film version, also called Hurry Up Tomorrow, starring Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan, will be released later in 2025.