The Weeknd signals the beginning of the end with "Dancing In The Flames"

The Weeknd released the lead single, “Dancing In The Flames,” from his upcoming album on Friday, and it stands apart from the teasers he’s released so far. For one thing, this is a certified pop track with Max Martin producing credits, as opposed to the more ominous, less-radio-friendly snippets he’d previously shared online. For another thing, the “Dancing In The Flames” music video stars the actual Weeknd in the flesh, as opposed to an uncanny valley animated simulacrum of the pop star as appeared in those other teasers. 

This is one of those music videos that’s also an advertisement. Can you guess which product? (A polite pause for guesses.) That’s right; like Olivia Rodrigo before him and his ex Selena Gomez before that, The Weeknd’s latest visual is shot entirely on the new iPhone (the 16 Pro). It looks… fine? Probably we’re supposed to be impressed by the cinematography of the shattered glass (a trick that also appeared in Rodrigo’s “get him back” video last year—maybe breaking glass is a contractual requirement?). Interestingly, though “Dancing In The Flames” is a live-action rather than animated affair, the visual preserves some of the unsettling otherworldliness seen in the clips “The abyss gazes also into you…” and “Unprepared certainty…”. 

The Weeknd, real name Abel Tesfaye, has suggested his next album—which he revealed earlier this month would be titled Hurry Up Tomorrow—will be his last, at least under the “Weeknd” moniker. In the album announcement, he hinted that the decision was born not only out of the burdens of fame but also his experience losing his voice after shooting The Idol. “I look in the mirror and feel both old and new, stuck in limbo and unable to move. I still haven’t faced myself. More songs could help, but what do I have to say? Woe is me in my golden cage, right?” He writes in the announcement. “The very thing that made me invincible failed me on the world stage. A new trauma surfaced, opening floodgates. A new path awaits. When today ends, I’ll discover who I am.”

In the “Dancing In The Flames” video, The Weeknd is driving a car until there’s a brutal crash; afterwards, he gets out of the car and keeps moving forward before ultimately collapsing in the rain. An ambulance arrives and medical personnel rush to help him. Perhaps this is the beginning of the end of The Weeknd.