It’s hard to know who exactly Abel Tesfaye is these days. The man once known as The Weeknd claimed he was leaving the moniker behind, that he was done with the decadent pop martyrdom and night-stained myth-making. And yet, here he is—fully immersed in the persona again—in the music video for “Baptized In Fear,” a gothic fever dream set inside an abandoned church that feels more confession than comeback.
The video, the latest chapter in the multi-media campaign for Hurry Up Tomorrow, is more than a moody visual—it’s a ritual. Abel, draped in black and bathed in holy dread, roams between flickering candles, shifting statues, and vacant pews. It’s religious iconography filtered through the lens of someone who has always flirted with damnation, but now seems genuinely curious if redemption is even possible.
The “Baptized In Fear” video does suggest that Abel is reckoning with something deeper than fame, drugs, or broken love. There’s a desperation here, a haunted sincerity that’s been lingering beneath his most recent work, but finally erupts in this visual with full theatrical force.
It helps that Hurry Up Tomorrow itself has been a layered experience. Each track and video—“Open Hearts,” “Cry For Me,” “Drive”—feels like a different room in the same crumbling mansion. “Baptized In Fear” might be the chapel at its heart. Abel’s performance is restrained but gripping. He doesn’t cry out for help so much as whisper through clenched teeth, like someone who’s already tried praying and is now negotiating with the silence.
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Credits: Andrew Cooper
While the video stands on its own as a visual short film, it also ties back into Hurry Up Tomorrow, the feature-length film Abel released alongside the album. The project blends his love for cinematic world-building with his continued evolution as a pop artist. It’s high-concept, at times indulgent, but never boring. And the fact that he’s navigating all this while juggling a tour, Coachella cameos with Playboi Carti, red carpet appearances with Jenna Ortega, and remix drops with Doechii? It’s almost too much for one artist—unless you’re The Weeknd, of course.
And about that retirement? Don’t count on it. He’s teased walking away from the stage name, but if “Baptized In Fear” proves anything, it’s that Abel is still invested in the mythology he’s spent over a decade building. Maybe it’s not about killing The Weeknd anymore—maybe it’s about sanctifying him. Or burying him properly.