In front of everyone he is his best self, but “After Hours” he’s heartbroken

"The Japanese say you have three faces. The first face, you show to the world. The second face, you show to your close friends and your family. The third face, you never show anyone. It is the truest reflection of who you are."

This era was fucking crazy, aesthetically and musically. I'll never forget being here from start to finish and through one of the hardest times of my life. Thank you Abel, see you at Dawn.

1:13 - Too Late 2:03 - Faith 2:22 - In your eyes 2:40 - Alone again 3:19 - After Hours In case you are wondering

I wanna see a movie of his life. Not just because I'm a fan but also because he finally deserves to express all his hidden feelings.

The fake smile he wears during the first 50 seconds then goes back to his resting face and how he *actually* feels...way too relatable man

Let's be honest for a sec.: This short film and the whole album are such a masterpiece, I mean, there is so much work behind it and even if the recognition at Abel is currently high, it is never enough. The real fans know and always stay. Xoxo

2 years later and I’m still obsessed with this character

Abel is the prime example of what an artistic human being can be when their energy is properly channelled

This guy exposed literally every introvert s feelings after a party or get together

I take a look at this era... It was a completely masterpice of music, and cinematography. I look and see how this music communicated with me through some of my hardest times- Lots of my family members died and I had no one left for holidays, My 4 year long relationship had ended in flames, I lost dozens of my close wholesome friends, I ended up in a dark circle of people for a period of time, Yet it was the music of this one artist that still reminded me that there is still some humanity left to be had through all those sad and depressing moments. Some of my new good friends might not understand the message of the weekend but it's truly amazing to see the kind of effort and emotion he puts in his songs. As for me I've now finally settled in a comfy state of mind and socialbiltiy, and with the dawn upon us soon it's a great time to alive to see the new stuff this man has coming.

This guy deserves a Grammy. If he already has one, he deserves another one.

04:29 "it's not going to be fun." That's a message. No more daytime music.

I literally want to reach out and just hug him.

I always cry watching this! Its his facial expressions, I still can relate 😢

Everyone's talking about their emotions but look at this man's acting!!!! Stunned😲😲😲

take a look at how the crowd think his face scars are fake and part of the show, but as soon as he leaves they start hurting,cause they’re real.

3:41 that drop never misses to give me goosebumps

This dude can really act too, holy shit. I never realized just how awesomely talented this dude is. The fact that he was able to tell a story via his music videos, an interview on Jimmy Kimmel, a SB performance, and a short film? I mean, this is just peak music artist creativity

This is not an album, this is a story

The fact that he didn't say a single word and yet he was able to portray so many emotions👏🏽👏🏽

Not only a singer , and a good actor , you can tell how he feels from his facial expressions

The way I read it, 0:00 is The Weeknd performing on stage like we’re used to, he accepts the cheers and congratulations. Then the moment he leave the stage that special feeling starts wasting away because it was never real. 1:12 As he re-enters the regular world of non celebrity, he feels the pain he doesn’t feel on stage, and hears his own songs but feels disassociated from them. 3:19 He accepts the pain and enters the After Hours at 3:41 where he’s free and in control. but over the course of the journey we learn that’s not true either. I’m being dramatic

can we just take a moment and appreciate his goddamn expressions

The silent scream gave me goosebumps. The fact that he tries so hard to let it out but is silenced by the white noise around him is just wow. He’s such an amazing artist musically visually and is just an amazing storyteller.

Honestly, this is his MOST cohesive project to date. Every lyric conveys a powerful theme of love and regret, a fight with himself and a dire need to change the man his love life, his career and his past have lead him to become.

Not even kidding the after hours era shoud be a whole movie in theaters

Abel looking like a horror movie slasher when those elevator doors opened.

I am so impressed with this whole album. Not just music, but the whole marketing. It’s not just an album, it’s he. He put so much effort into this and I’m just impressed & in love. Thank you for this. XO till we overdose.

If I could I would give that man the biggest hug. I don’t know what he’s going through, and I don’t know what he’s dealing with. But I hope everything gets better because this man made my childhood what it is now.

Simply one of the best albums ever made. The atmosphere, aesthetic, addicting songs, wonderful and deep meaning MVs about his life and career, everything about this album is wonderful. I hope he's doing well now, this album is of so much pain..

can we talk about how hard it is to portray the amount of emotion and intensity in expressions that abel does and he's not even a professional actor? absolutely insane, we never knew such a brooding and secretive artist would lay all of his feelings out bare for After Hours. Abel is a genius. edit: lol guys I see the “hes not acting” replies I’m sure he is channeling emotions deep within him, but to showcase them on camera, in front of dozens of people for the world to see? That takes a lot of courage.

Why is this man not nominated again? He literally changed the game in the music industry. We dont deserve him 😭😭

Does anyone else come back to this for a nostalgia hit?

It’s 2023, and here you are. You never knew how much this was Going to impact you during 2020 events. What you individually went through, what you missed out, and what you remorse about. We are ahead of After Hours, and you wished you can go back and do the correct things in your life when you had the chance. Now we must live and grow.

He is smiling more in this era than in his whole life I know that is a painful smile chill

his acting at the scene that he is sad and crying was...beautiful

This whole album is a masterpiece ! Every single song has a deep meaning about him ! Rarely do you find such good music nowadays. Abel worked hard for this and deserves even more recognition. I will never understand why wouldn't he get any Grammy's nomination , he could have won more than 1 Grammy award for "After Hours"

There should be a full movie about After Hours in my opinion. This album/story just lures you into the darkness.

i would watch a whole netflix series with him as the main character

This album is truly about to hit different

The way he went from “happy” to sad feels real because most of us humans go from one feeling to another; felt real to me.

And the Oscar for "Best acting male" goes to The Weeknd.

This album is going to be so intense, I don't think were ready.

This has the cinematic feel of Kiss Land and the emotional feel of Melancholy.

I will never forget this era. This was an out of body experience. I would give anything to go back😭😭

Happy and praised , confused and dazed, sad and completely vulnerable, panic, anger, despise and vengeance…. Absolute masterclass , an amazing Artist , words will never be able to describe how great you are Abel . Xoxo ♥️

The fact that the album isn’t too far from now excites me even more, but the way he’s promoting this album is amazing!

we will look back at this and think: “we had no idea what he was about to hit us with”

I'm so sad, abel said dawn is coming and I don't want this era end.. 😭😭

i come here, just to remind myself, that abel can act

After the show is over, he always ends up being dragged back into his old ways, a life filled with darkness, addiction, and depression 😔

Savor this moment; the building momentum before the album drop. Might be years before we experience this again.

The light flickering effect and the clicking that goes along with it literally encapsulates what it feels like to trip on shrooms or acid which ties in to his Heartless video perfectly.

This album saved my life, thank you.

Everyone always ask "where's Abel” but never “how's Abel”.

notice how he is alone after he is cheered on by so many people who think the cuts and scars are fake but when he gets off stage they start hurting because they are real. not to sound like an English teacher but he also wears shades to shield him from the light which he at the beginning was looking up to, to guide him from his darkness. he has now lost hope and wants to stay in the dark hence the murder of a relationship in the elevator at the end. perhaps a dig at past relationships he’s had and the sudden envy he feels toward other peoples happiness in relationships. something that he has never felt before and is therefore blind to his actions and feelings and that’s why he wears the shades... or he thought they just looked cool lmao.

After Hours is my favorite song on this album

2:00 - 2:10 sounds so good i wish i could listen to a longer version of this. the way it mixes😧

He went from Starboy to serial killer real quick

This is what Abel meant when he said "die with a smile don't show the world how alone you've become"

seeing him sad in the video makes me sad too :( great artist!!!

This was the peak era of The Weeknd. The Weeknd had already set a high standard with hit albums such as BBTM and Starboy . It would have been enough for any normal artist but not for The Weeknd and now with After Hours , he has set such a high standard that it is almost unattainable. That is why he is the best artist in the world.

I was like why he suddenly appeared on a late night show, now i understand, it was part of the plan.

Damn, his acting is actually so good

Half Analysis Full credit from Reddit - AppleSoftware {0:00 - 0:25] The beginning of the film shows the crowd cheering on for Abel following his performance of one of his songs. He is putting on a fake smile for everyone in order to hide his true feelings. [0:26 - 0:46] As the temporary and fake happiness along with all the yelling and cheering from the crowd fade, the scene in which Abel is walking through goes from normal lighting to red lighting. This represents an association with the devil (his soul has been sold). [0:47 - 1:11] His smile morphs into a monotonous facial expression, then slowly starts to turn into him being sad and stressed. This is because he is pondering the fact of how his time (old Weeknd) is running out/has run out. [1:12 - 1:25] Right after exiting the building, there is muffled audio of some of his past songs. He briefly looks back because the music has brought everything he has to him but the devil had told him that his time is reaching an end. He’s about to lose everything he has worked for. [1:26 - 2:00] While Abel is walking outside, he looks behind him because he hears an abrupt sound while knowing his time is up and is constantly afraid and paranoid. He looks around above him expecting to see a red light (demons/devil) but doesn’t see anything so he continues looking behind him. (more on the red light above him later on in the video) [2:01 - 2:16] He once again hears his music playing in the background while he is walking and still thinking about how his time is up. While he is on the escalator, he is displaying obvious expressions of fear and paranoia by the way he is carrying himself and looking around. Once again, he abruptly looks behind him when he hears a sudden and random sound, and for the same reason he keeps looking behind him: he is afraid and paranoid because the devil has told him that his time is up. [2:17 - 2:22] We get a close up of how deeply rooted his fear and sadness are within his facial expression.] While walking through the tunnel leading to the subway, Abel passes by an unrecognized saxophone player who is struggling to make money off of his music. This is symbolic of Abel way back when nobody cared about him and hadn’t been recognized for his musical abilities as of yet. He was a struggling artist. Couldn't go anymore, the rest is on reddit. XO

I'll never forget the first time seeing this trailer. Gave me literal chills. We really had no idea what we were in for. Also, this alternate version of Faith lives in my head rent free.

This hits harder now that we know what the snippet songs are about. The look on his face is even more heart breaking.

*His album is like a movie, Heartless, blinding lights and after hours...*

in 3 days a new era is coming and im still not over this.

I remember watching this. And when you dropped the album After Hours. somehow the album dropped at a time where life seemed so weird and so new and so unfamiliar. there was something magic about this album and it will always have its own space in my heart. It helped me get through one of the weirdest and hardest years of my life and every lyric, every chord, every harmony resonated with my emotions. Thank you Abel, for being the most influential musician I have ever listened to. See you at dawn

Producer: what chu want Abel: Afro Joker Producer: say no more

feels like he's trying to escape from the one thing which no human can escape from, which is his own mind. the pain you feel when alone just drives you insane. sometimes you just want to scream and let it all out.

The emotions/feelings I see throughout the video in order: Happiness Gratitude Back to reality Emptiness Numbness Pain Walking with no direction Sadness Thoughts of the past Insecurity Anxiety Breaking Point Insanity

I’ll admit Dawn FM is pretty good. But their will never be another era like after Hours, After Hours was such a true masterpiece and will always remain as my favorite. I just can’t put it down for Dawn FM, After Hours still remains in a special place in my heart.

I feel like this album is going to be for him. Like a self reflecting therapy session.Almost as if he needed to get a bunch of weight off of his shoulders. XO out here to help ease that burden. This man is clearly on another level and we will never TRULY understand his image but his music gives us a glimpse into what is forever happening inside this man's head. Thank you for the music.

Director: so how dark and weird do you want this The Weeknd: Yes.

the burning ache of being surrounded by absolutely Nothing and no one , but at the same time being crowded. The menacing haunt of past memories and expectations others place on one person to be this and that to look this way and sound like that . The identity of oneself hiding in a corner dying and a emerging character of this and that from peoples expectations. silence it all violently.... silence it all

Unforgettable era🩸

This is chilling. He has a lot of demons inside and he’s artistically exposing them 👏🏽

The broken nose signifies getting hit with heartbreak. He's a celebrity, so even though he got hurt, he still needs to go out in public with a big smile on his face. When its After Hours tho, and he's alone, he doesn't do so well. When he puts on the glasses and gloves he is going back his old way (drugs, big spending, ect). The sliding relates to him spiraling out of control. This behavior hurts others and leads to even more tragedy (Elevator scene).

This album will forever be my favourite it's so good and the lyrics are so true and emotional the lyrics is just perfect this is not just an album its an experience into another dimension

I just noticed at 1:10 you can hear the exact same scream of the woman in the elevator at the end but muffled, this is one of many reasons why After Hours is my Favourite album of all time ( My 2nd Fav Album is Flower Boy & my 3rd Fav is IGOR)

Idk why, but I have a feeling the glasses play a part in his “fucked up reality”. Notice how throughout the video Abel is displayed as alone, sad, and hurt. But once he puts the glasses on, everything rapidly changes and he seemingly loses all emotion and pain he previously had. Back to being “Heartless”.

This man took being a musician to a whole another level

Tbh I'm absolutely delighted to be born during this era and follow through The Weeknd's journey it's just a different level of satisfaction to listen to his music and trying to figure how tf did he even come up with these lyrics and how beautifully and slowly he told the story of after hours it's just amazing i don't think i got no words to describe his work and even after this success i don't think he got what he deserves it's not enough bruhhhh -xo forever ✌️

There really are a few artists who create music as literal ART . with whole theory and concept behind it. like Taylor Swift - like Weeknd . i've always enjoyed that kind of music that doesn't just get you in the FEELS rather it leaves you in awe whenever you focus on it. So amazing both of them and others like them. I love you and respect you so much Mr.Tesfaye ❤ You're truly a Prince of Pop❤

this video makes me feel the kind of pain you feel when you're about to break down and cry. i dont want him to die

Screen goes black Me: Still waiting for the song to start

Tysm abel for making this.. i see myself here.. it reflects me so well.. also keeping me up somehow.. it's beyond relatable.. don't have words for this masterpiece

March 4th, 2020… before everything started, I remember I was at the gym when this came out and even though it doesn’t include a song in particular, I kept repeating it. When lockdowns started I kept doing the same and dropped tears plenty amount of times, but I can say “After Hours” era saved my life completely.

I feel like when he puts on the sunglasses it’s his display of being calm, unbothered and heartless since that’s what he feels like he needs to portray as a celebrity. But as soon as the lights go out and he’s off stage like he is in the beginning that’s when his facade of his “celebrity status” comes down and he’s left with facing just himself, the loneliness of it all and his sadness.

My theory: The album is named After Hours because he acts like he’s ok in public, but “After Hours” he is acting like himself, his feelings are talked about in the album. He is angry at himself, for lying to whoever he is talking about in his songs. His thoughts are taking him over and he is being dragged into a murderer shown in the video.

still keep coming back here. wish I could listen to the whole album and watch the whole storyline again for this first time... What a Journey.

After Hours, the track, is honestly so underrated.

This Joker 2 teaser trailer actually looks amazing.

This man is more than just singer ...

I came to re-watch this piece of art at this very moment, just because it clearly defines what's going on inside someone's head including mine right now. This video is an art I've already saved it for my future. XO

i cannot imagine the pain in his eyes, but i know that feeling after the day is done and you let your guard down and your heart just slowly wilts aways🥀. you want to cry and shout... but. no one can hear you. you aren’t proud of your achievements you aren’t proud of your music being so worldwide. you can’t explain why you feel the way you feel or maybe you can but the burden of having everything but happiness is so much of a voidful hole and it’s so unbearable 🥀.

This is like watching a horror movie with a funk music plying in background.