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The Weeknd on the ‘Deeply Psychological, Emotional Ride’ Behind the Music in His ‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ Film

Billboard spoke with The Weeknd and Johnnie Burn about the sonics behind 'Hurry Up Tomorrow,' which is in theaters starting Friday (May 16).

Directed by Trey Edward Shults, Hurry Up Tomorrow follows a fictional version of the superstar (also named Abel) who’s “plagued by insomnia” and “is pulled into an odyssey with a stranger who begins to unravel the very core of his existence,” according to the official synopsis. Burn says the song that required the most fine-tuning was the cathartic centerpiece “Hurry Up Tomorrow,” which The Weeknd explains was inspired by the titular track from Robert Altman’s 1973 satirical noir film The Long Goodbye, because of how frequently it appears. The guttural shrieks heard right after Anima swings a champagne bottle over Abel’s head and knocks him out when he first tries leaving the hotel room sound reminiscent of the title track of his 2013 debut studio album Kiss Land.

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