Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, is channeling one of his darkest personal experiences into his most vulnerable artistic project yet—a psychological thriller titled Hurry Up Tomorrow, hitting theaters on May 16.
In a candid interview with The Fader, Tesfaye revealed that the film draws directly from his struggles with sleep paralysis, a terrifying condition where the body is frozen between sleep and wakefulness. “There’s no villain in this movie,” he said. “The enemy is the paralysis itself.”
He described haunting episodes where shadows loom, voices whisper, and panic sets in—yet the body remains immobile. “You’re awake, but you can’t move. You see things. You hear things. But you’re trapped.”
Over time, he’s learned to manage it by embracing a healthier sleep routine and cutting overstimulation at night. “My cure? No phones, no TV, no lights. That’s the only way I sleep without nightmares,” he added with a wry smile. “The darkness is the only way to avoid the darkness.”
Directed by Trey Edward Shults, Hurry Up Tomorrow blends horror and psychological drama, with The Weeknd playing a fictionalized version of a pop star—a role deeply rooted in his real-life persona. Co-stars include Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan, adding star power to an already high-stakes story.
One preview clip posted to Instagram shows his character losing his voice without explanation—a chilling moment inspired by a real incident in 2022 when The Weeknd abruptly ended a concert at SoFi Stadium due to sudden vocal loss.
Meanwhile, the singer is gearing up for the next leg of his After Hours Til Dawn tour, kicking off May 9 in Phoenix with Playboi Carti and Mike Dean as special guests.
