Abel Tesfaye's new film lays The Weeknd to rest

Hurry Up Tomorrow, a thriller based on the singer's life, marks the end of the musical persona he has used for 18 years

- Lizzy Goodman

LOS ANGELES — There is a moment in Hurry Up Tomorrow, the new psychological thriller co-written, produced by, and starring R&B singer The Weeknd, whose given name is Abel Tesfaye — in which Anima, a mysterious character played by Jenna Ortega, whacks him over the head with a bottle of champagne, knocking him out cold.

"That's my girlfriend's favourite scene," Tesfaye said.

Opening in Singapore cinemas on May 29, the film is a cinematic roman à clef. It tells the story of a superstar called The Weeknd — known for his melancholic music and reclusive personality — who is on a huge stadium tour, pumping himself up with drugs, booze, and other assorted trappings of fame. When the star loses his voice onstage, it sets off his descent into surrealistic madness.

In 2022, at the end of his first stadium tour, the Canadian — known for his moody music, obsessive privacy, and openness about past drug and alcohol abuse — lost his voice in real life while performing at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. He has said the incident triggered a mental breakdown and inspired a personal reckoning.

His sixth studio album, also titled Hurry Up Tomorrow — written as he shot the film in 2023 — dropped in January. Tesfaye said it will be his last release as The Weeknd.

The singer, now 35, is not planning to quit making music. He is just retiring the persona that has been his musical home since he dropped out of high school in Toronto and started putting out mixtapes online.

"My voice failing me, or me failing my voice, however you want to look at it — I really felt like I went up there, and my body was telling me to sit down. It was telling me, 'You have nothing else to say.'"

The film Hurry Up Tomorrow, said American director Trey Edward Shults (Waves, 2019;