During his massive concert in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday (April 26), The Weeknd gave fans a preview of new music while accompanied by visuals directed by legendary Japanese director Takashi Miike.
In a post on his Instagram page, The Weeknd shared a clip showing the song receiving its world premiere at Rio de Janeiro's Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos as animated visuals played in the background. The animated clip appears to depict The Weeknd embroiled in gang violence with flashes of neon lights, bloody brawls, and romance. The song, meanwhile, features a thumping bassline and reunites him with his “São Paulo” collaborator Anitta, who also appeared alongside him onstage.
The Weeknd has yet to announce a follow-up to Hurry Up Tomorrow, but he let fans know that a new project was on the way when he performed in Sāo Paulo. In 2024, he and Anitta previewed “Sāo Paulo” during the show, and their new track together received a similar treatment on Sunday.
The animated visuals mark the Weeknd’s first collaboration with Takashi Miike, who has over 100 directorial credits to his name. He’s made films from every genre under the sun, but is perhaps best known for his 1999 horror movie Audition, the yakuza chaos of Ichi the Killer (2001), and his acclaimed 2010 remake of 13 Assassins.
As reported by Deadline, Miike also recently lined up an untitled slasher-horror movie with Charli XCX, which began filming in Japan last month. The cast of the movie is rounded out by Milly Alcock, Norman Reedus, Show Kasamatsu, and Kiko Mizuhara. As well as starring in the movie and getting a story credit, XCX is also producing the movie through her Studio365 banner.
