Evan Larsen, the director for "Hong Kong" video said that Abel gave him a list of Hong Kong movies to watch as inspiration before he arrived in the city. Among other names like "Chungking Express", "Hard Boiled" and "A Better Tomorrow", the 1995 film "Fallen Angels" was particularly mentioned as a big inspiration for cinematography. Link to the interview

Similarities include:

- The enigmatic woman in the city

- Smoking all alone

- Neon drenched nocturnal urban interiors

- Ride inside the tunnel

and many more visual nods...

Hit song : Blinding Lights
Deep cut : Loft Music or, Enemy or Till Dawn.
Signature song : Often
Timeless song : Call Out My Name
Classic : Starboy

When someone asks you what the best The Weeknd album is, the choice often falls on one of the two trilogies or Kiss Land, but what about BBTM?

My favorite song: „As You Are“

Generally a very underestimated song.

Source

okay we need to discuss this at this point. what is this newfound obsession with artists playing full versions of tracks at concerts and taking forever to release them? (looking at you, lana)

in my opinion it's a really terrible way to drop new music. he did it with dancing in the flames, sao paulo, open hearts and now these 3 tracks.

what bothers me is that i become obsessed with these tracks (because they're fucking incredible) and end up listening to the live performance rips and remakes a million times over because there's no sign of the song being released and then when the studio version finally drops all my hype is over and done with months ago when i first became obsessed with the song.

and i feel like for abel this has got to impact the reception of the studio release? i just don't understand playing it so far in advance for fans to wear the song out before it's even released. and i'm getting a little frustrated at this release strategy personally especially with lana playing the same games lol

how do you guys feel?

Yesterday, when I saw the Barcelona match against Real Madrid, I realized that the local club always had a sponsor of some famous singer or brand, especially in the classic. And I started thinking, what would happen if The Weeknd collaborated with FC Barcelona for a match like this? So I made a design just like the ones they use and I hope to see the opinions of others, thank you for looking.

Can y'all pls share the meme where the weeknd wins ballon' dor. The one where the hills plays in the background as 2015 weeknd goes on stage to receive it.

Did y'all ever notice that he hits the same set of notes in both the songs at the timestamps in the image but just that they are higher in Hurt you, is this accurate? Am i trippin?

The HONG KONG single has me thinking he is doing something MJ has done from 2001-2009.

Might be too early to say this but I've listened to this song about a 100 times now I can say this is one of my favorite of all time. Something about this song brings out so much emotions out of me to the point of tears.

Link to the full interview

not clean asf but it can work :p

.

crossfade 4-5s

Open to any other suggestions

another beat in the style of the weeknd.

i wanted to create a blend of abel’s dark sound and playboi carti’s style—something similar to the song "timeless"—but in the end, it didn’t turn out quite that way.

any thoughts?

I just was scrolling my playlist until I this Absolute Fucking Masterpiece caught my eye and I just played it and the nostalgia hit hard. Can't believe its more than 6.5 years since this was released 🥹🤌

Abel pls just release the song now is so fuking good
Even tho I already download on YouTube music lol

I think there's a strong possibility that Abel's next project could be centered around the different cities and cultures that have inspired him throughout the After Hours Til Dawn Tour.

Over the past few months, we've gotten three new songs teased: Rio, Tokyo, and Hong Kong. And what do all three have in common? They're all named after cities Abel has visited on tour, and each song seems to incorporate elements of the culture and musical identity associated with that location.

Look at what we have so far:

- Rio: Featuring Anitta, Rio incorporates Brazilian influences, particularly that synth-funk sound. It references Favela Street and feels like a natural continuation of the experimentation we heard on São Paulo, while still bringing something fresh to the table.

- Tokyo: Incorporates the iconic A Cruel Angel's Thesis from Neon Genesis Evangelion, with Yoko Takahashi herself involved. Overall, it feels like a perfect representation of Tokyo.

- Hong Kong: A beautiful, melancholic ballad incorporating a sample of Faye Wong's Seasonal Wind. It's a completely different atmosphere from the other two, and shows just how much stylistic range this concept could have.

Three songs, three cities, and three very different musical directions. But that's kind of the point. If this really is the concept, each city could bring something completely different to the album. After all, these aren't just songs with city names slapped onto them, they're influenced by the places themselves.

And I think the timing makes a lot of sense, too.

Abel is wrapping up what has become one of the biggest and most successful tours in music history. He's spent years traveling around the world, performing in different countries, experiencing different cultures, and collaborating with artists from different backgrounds. It wouldn't be surprising if all those experiences came together to form an album.

This is all just speculation of course, but I think we could be in for something really special. What do you all think?

I really believe that the next album's title/them could reflect the phrase "The World is Yours". I started thinking about this after the new songs of Rio and Tokyo, and now we have Hong Kong.

Abel's expressed his love for Scarface in the past, and that phrase has connection to the movie.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, I remember when he was on tour in Florida in 2025, Abel stated "I haven't felt musical inspiration like this in a long time" "Kiss Land was written here, I don't know if that's foreshadowing at something".

ALSO during the opening song The Abyss of that show, there was a Good Year blimp circling the stadium, with the phrase on it "THE WORLD IS YOURS". That EXACT scene was in the Scarface film in 1983. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-623U11sTQ8

I also think the theme "The World is Yours" really reflects where Abel is in his career right now. It represents the idea that despite what the world has given you, YOU have the ability to decide and choose your own path. I think that's why The Weeknd persona has been revived and Abel has decided not to end it. For the past 15 years, this persona has represented a darker side of Abel - fame, drugs, lust, self-destruction. That was what was GIVEN to him, and that's ultimately why he decided to end it with Hurry Up Tomorrow. However, with this newly profound inspiration, Abel is deciding to reshape what "The Weeknd" actually is. He is CHOOSING what he wants it to be.

Abel, the World is Yours.

Hey everyone, XOTWOD hope you’re all doing well!

I’m really blown away by this new track; I’ve had it on repeat, lol.

The fact that this new song is named after a city where Abel has spent time—along with the potential for tracks like "Rio," "Tokyo," and "Hong Kong" to appear on a *Kiss Land* remaster—has me thinking. I know many might disagree, but consider this:

*Kiss Land* was Abel’s first studio album, centered on the premise of an early-career artist traveling to the other side of the world and grappling with newfound fame. The Abel of today, however, has already been through all of that; he knows how to handle fame and is now a global music icon. Perhaps a *Kiss Land* remaster is a revisit to that concept—seen through the eyes of the current Abel. He’s even mentioned that he always envisioned *Kiss Land* as a project with a continuation, and that he felt it was never truly complete.

"Rio" touches on Abel wandering through the streets of a *favela* in search of a girl—a moment where he sheds all his inhibitions and the defenses that keep him from being with her.

"Tokyo" seems to deal with Abel’s internal journey toward his true self. I get the sense that the "beast" forming inside him might actually be this new version of himself. It’s intriguing, especially since some of his music videos suggest that the child version of Abel still resides within "The Weeknd." It’s as if, once this outer shell—"The Weeknd"—is broken away, something else is revealed from within—perhaps a new iteration of "The Weeknd," or something entirely different. "Hong Kong" is an interesting song; while it deals with genuine feelings for a girl, it also serves as a tribute to the city and its culture. It’s one of those tracks where Abel sets aside his usual toxicity and opens his heart to this woman—acknowledging that his lifestyle prevents them from being together, yet making it clear that whenever she feels she needs him, he’ll be waiting for her in Hong Kong.

All these songs lead me to believe they might be part of a *Kiss Land* remaster, given that they focus on different cultures from various locations—though that’s just my opinion. What do you all think?

Also, I was thinking: Latin America has had its own song, and Asia has been represented by two tracks from different locations, but we haven’t seen any new songs centered on North America or Europe. Perhaps his new project is focused exclusively on Asia, with the addition of "RIO."