The Weeknd reveals cover art for forthcoming album, ‘Dawn FM’
This will be the three-time Grammy winner's fifth full-length studio album of his career.
Just one day after announcing the title and release date of his next album, The Weeknd has now revealed the cover art of Dawn FM, scheduled to drop on Friday.
The three-time Grammy-winner posted a picture of himself on social media as an old man; his hair, mustache, and beard are gray, frazzled and worn. His skin is pale, wrinkled, and full of spots as he looks into the camera with worry and fatigue.
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The trailer for Dawn FM, which he dropped on Monday, had the first images of The Weeknd as an old man. Although the trailer only lasted one minute, it seems that the album, which he dubbed “A new sonic universe from the mind of The Weeknd,” may be accompanied by a long-form video companion piece that includes a narrative.
The Weeknd took similar approaches to his two previous full-length albums, Starboy and After Hours. Both album campaigns included narrative short films that used each album’s respective songs to tell a dark, surrealistic narrative with occasional violent imagery.
In the trailer, The Weeknd also disclosed that the album will have guest features from Lil Wayne, Tyler, the Creator, Quincy Jones, Oneohtrix Point Never and comedian Jim Carrey.
Dawn FM is set to contain the most guest features of The Weeknd’s oeuvre thus far. His 2019 album After Hours, had no guest features, while the 18 tracks on 2016’s Starboy only featured four guest appearances: Future, Kendrick Lamar, Lana Del Ray, and Daft Punk, who were on two tracks.
Although The Weeknd has posted the album art, features, and release date, a tracklist has not yet been revealed. The only track known to be included on the project is its lead single, “Take My Breath,” a psychedelic disco-inspired track co-written by frequent collaborator Max Martin.
In an interview with GQ this past August, The Weeknd described Dawn FM as a project that he’s been eager to create his whole career.
“It’s the album I’ve always wanted to make,” he said. The Weeknd is still riding high off of the success of After Hours, an album that included three top five Billboard 100 singles, ultimately leading to a double-platinum certification by the RIAA.
The accompanying video for “Take My Breath” matches the imagery of the Dawn FM trailer. In both treatments, The Weeknd is seen traversing a nightclub adorned with strobe lighting, while dressed in Black leather, diamond earrings and sunglasses.
“Take My Breath” may serve as an example of what fans can expect from both the album and subsequent video components.
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