The Weeknd’s video for his new song “Take My Breath” — which has been previewed in an Olympics ad and on social media this week — was scheduled to air in Imax theaters before “Suicide Squad” this week, but has been pulled due to epilepsy warnings regarding to the “intense strobe lighting” in the clip, a source close to the situation tells PvNew.
The song, the first leading up to the Weeknd’s follow-up to his blockbuster “After Hours” album, will be released on Friday at 12 a.m. ET.
In aninterview withPvNew 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.” He then 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.
On Monday night, more of “Take My Breath” was unveiled 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 further expanded on that concept in acover story with GQon 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.
