I Rebuke This Comeback in the Name of Rattails

A new album? A new semi-autobiographical film? Whatever this comeback is, I wish The Weeknd would keep it.

By Audra Heinrichs  |  February 4, 2025 | 5:26pm
Photo: Getty Images CelebritiesEntertainment
I Rebuke This Comeback in the Name of Rattails

If you watched the 67th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, you know that Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. made a special appearance—not to deliver a speech about the L.A. wildfires or how music “saves,” but to promise everyone that the voting process is trustworthy. Who prompted this declaration? The Weeknd (né Abel Tesfaye), who Mason Jr. went on to introduce to perform a mash-up of tracks from his new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow.

The move signified something of a comeback for Tesfaye. In 2021, he boycotted the Grammys, claiming he was “uninterested” in its corruption and would stop submitting his music for consideration. “The trust has been broken for so long between the Grammy organization and artists that it would be unwise to raise a victory flag,” he told Variety at the time. “I think the industry and public alike need to see the transparent system truly at play for the win to be celebrated, but it’s an important start.”

Well, apparently the Academy heard him loud and clear. And for some reason, Hollywood keeps hearing him too because, on Monday, Entertainment Weekly published an exclusive feature on his forthcoming film, Hurry Up Tomorrow. That’s right. Tesfaye is returning to the screen two years after the dumpster fire that was his debut, The Idol.

Co-starring Barry Keoghan and Jenna Ortega, the film was co-written by Tesfaye, Trey Edward Shultz, and Reza Fahim…a former collaborator on The Idol. There’s red flag number one. Apparently, the story follows an artist teetering on the brink of a mental breakdown. It’s autobiographical. I’m not kidding. It really is.

“This experience was really introspective and cathartic for me,” Tesfaye said. “From writing to production and through post—I realized just how much of a catalyst this art form can be for conversations about our emotions, mental health, and vulnerabilities.” A male-driven story about mental health? Red flag number two.

Tesfaye is reportedly playing a version of himself (red flag number three) and, according to Shultz, originated from long talks with Tesfaye. “I feel like we created a character that isn’t exactly him, but it’s honest to his soul and what he could have been if things went differently in life,” Shultz told EW. “I think his character is in need of self-reflection. He’s kind of at a crossroads in his life.” Red flag number four.

According to Tesfaye, he, too, had a mental breakdown in 2022 when he temporarily lost his voice during a performance. Now, we get another album and passion project where he portrays a version of himself. Yay.

I have a lot of questions. For starters, how does Tesfaye have this much cultural capital in the Academy when all of his songs sound the same? Why would any filmmakers want to work with him? Did no one else watch The Idol? Or, have they all forgotten about the bombshell report published by Rolling Stone which alleged that he hijacked production after he felt the show was leaning too far toward a “female perspective”?

Not only was The Idol an irredeemably bad show that offered zero nuance on a lecherous industry, rape culture, mental health, or trauma specific to survivors, but it wasn’t nearly as smart, edgy, or cool as it thought it was. Neither of those realities should be any surprise. It was made by men who simply weren’t creative enough to tell a tale about exploitation without doing that. It seems a bit soon that two of them got to try again. Besides, I can’t be the only one to remember the rattail. Frankly, I won’t allow it.

Whatever this comeback is, I really wish Tesfaye would keep it.

 
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