New music from the Weeknd is coming on Friday.
On Monday night, the singer announced a new single, “Take My Breath,” via an Olympics promo for the Team USA Women’s Track & Field team. The Weeknd posted the clip on Twitter, which features athletes Sydney McLaughlin, Dalilah Muhammad, Athing Mu and Gabby Thomas, along with the caption: “8.6.21 new single.” From the teaser, the song incorporates a pulsing synth-heavy groove and the hook, “Take my breath away,” a fitting motto for a promo showcasing lightning fast sprints.
The Weeknd first teased the song on Monday morning, with a snippet posted to his socials titled “The Dawn Is Coming,” accompanied by a trippy visual of a sunset. However, the clip was mainly instrumental, only incorporating the Weeknd’s melodic vocalizing until the very end, when “Take my breath” rings out.
In an interview with PvNew in May, the Weeknd dropped a hint as to what his next album will be like: “If the last record is the after hours of the night, then the dawn is coming.”
The Weeknd further expanded on that concept in a cover story with GQ on Monday, saying it’s the album “he’s always wanted to make.” When asked about what will make this album successful to him, the Weeknd told GQ: “What makes any of my albums a successful album, especially this one, is me putting it out and getting excited to make the next one. So the excitement to make the next project means that this one was successful to me. I want to do this forever. And even if I start getting into different mediums and different types of expressions, music will be right there. I’m not going to step away from it.”
Watch the clip below.
8.6.21 new single … #TokyoOlympics pic.twitter/6KPDHV1L1m
— The Weeknd (@theweeknd) August 3, 2021