The Weeknd began to tease a new album in May 2021 in an interview with Variety, when he stated 'if the last record is the After Hours of the night, then The Dawn is coming'. Shortly after, the Weeknd began working on his next studio album in an interview with Rolling Stone in September 2020, he stated that he 'might have another album ready to go by the time this quarantine is over.' The Weeknd later explained that he was originally working on an album inspired by the depressive state he was in during the COVID-19 pandemic, but scrapped the project because it was 'emotionally detrimental' and began working on Dawn FM. It was a commercial success and received mostly positive reviews from music critics, some of whom named it his best work yet. On March 20, 2020, the Weeknd released his fourth studio album After Hours during the beginning of COVID-19 restrictions. To further support both After Hours and Dawn FM, the Weeknd plans to embark on the After Hours til Dawn Tour, which is scheduled to visit North America, Europe and Australia beginning in summer 2022. It debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart. He also promoted the album with a television music special on Amazon Prime Video that featured live performances, theater and performance art for a 'night out at the club.' Dawn FM reached number one in over 10 countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The Weeknd promoted Dawn FM with an Amazon Music event on the album release day, in which he served as a disc jockey and played the album to an audience. Three singles were released from the album, of which the lead single ' Take My Breath' peaked at number six on the US Billboard Hot 100. The album received widespread acclaim from music critics, who complimented its production and melodies. Musically, Dawn FM is an upbeat record containing dance-pop and synth-pop songs that are heavily inspired by the 1980s new wave, funk and electronic dance music styles. The Weeknd described the album's concept as a state of purgatory-a journey towards the 'light at the end of a tunnel', serving as a follow-up to his fourth studio album After Hours (2020).

As the album's executive producers, the Weeknd, Max Martin and Oneohtrix Point Never recruited a variety of other producers such as Oscar Holter, Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia.

The album features narration by Jim Carrey, guest vocals from Tyler, the Creator and Lil Wayne, and spoken word appearances from Quincy Jones and Josh Safdie. It was released on January 7, 2022, through XO and Republic Records. Dawn FM is the fifth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd.

Amazon album art