The Weeknd Kicks Off New Era With Old Man Makeup and Sonic Experience for 'Dawn FM' Album

The Weeknd
The Weeknd

The Weeknd debuted his new album with a surreal livestream to a masked crowd.

The Weeknd kicked off another distinctive chapter in his musical oeuvre with a unique "sonic experience." Marking the launch of his new album, Dawn FM, the 31-year-old musician hosted a livestreamed event, 103.5 Dawn FM.

Standing inside an elevated DJ booth in a crowded club drenched in blue light, The Weeknd -- in makeup to have him look like a much older version of himself -- went through the album's track list for the intimate, cheering crowd.

The event streamed on the Amazon Music channel Twitch and in the Amazon Music app, and gave fans a chance to hear the album the way The Weeknd intended.

As the audience danced to the new tunes -- all while wearing futuristic clear plastic face masks -- the bizarrely wizened The Weeknd, whose also goes by Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, danced and grooved from the booth. In the vein of the Dawn FM title, the performance included radio-like commercial breaks complete with faux-ads for the fictitious 103.5 Dawn FM station.

The "Blinding Lights" singer first took to Instagram last Sunday to share a cryptic post that hinted at the new album's release.

Then on Monday, The Weeknd announced that his album, Dawn FM, will be released on Friday, and posted a dystopian-themed music video teaser, in which he transforms into a much older version of himself. The one-minute video also names Jim Carrey, Quincey Jones, Tyler the Creator, Lil Wayne and Oneohtrix Point Never as collaborators. 

In August, The Weeknd shared the first taste of the album, with the release of "Take My Breath," a disco-infused track that seemed to signal the start of the singer's new era.

The upcoming album will be the first since the massive success of 2020’s After Hours, which featured hits "Save Your Tears," "Heartless" and "Blinding Lights."

Here's the track list for The Weeknd's latest musical adventure.

1. Dawn FM
2. Gasoline
3. How Do I Make You Love Me?
4. Take My Breath
5. Sacrifice
6. A Tale by Quincy
7. Out of Time
8. Here We Go… Again
9. Best Friends
10. Is There Someone Else?
11. Starry Eyes
12. Every Angel Is Terrifying
13. Don’t Break My Heart
14. I Heard You’re Married
15. Less Than Zero
16. Phantom Regret by Jim

Dawn FM is available for purchase and streaming now.

RELATED CONTENT: