''Dawn FM'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter

the Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, Romance (love), ...

. It was released on January 7, 2022, through XO and

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

. The album features narration by

Jim Carrey James Eugene Carrey (; born January 17, 1962) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and artist. Known for his energetic slapstick performances, Carrey first gained recognition in 1990, after landing a role in the American sketch comedy te ...

, guest vocals from

Tyler, the Creator Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the founding members of the music collective Odd Future. Okonma self-released his debut mixtape Bast ...

and

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

, and

spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...

appearances from

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

and Josh Safdie. As the album's executive producers, the Weeknd,

Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (; born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
allmusic.com known profess ...

and

Oneohtrix Point Never Daniel Lopatin (born July 25, 1982), best known as Oneohtrix Point Never or OPN, is an American experimental electronic music producer, composer, singer and songwriter. His music has experimented with tropes from various music genres and eras, s ...

recruited a variety of other producers such as

Oscar Holter Oscar Thomas Holter (born 26 February 1986) is a Swedish record producer and songwriter based in the United States. He is best known for his work with record producer and fellow Swede Max Martin and Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd on the ...

Calvin Harris Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums. His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...

and

Swedish House Mafia Swedish House Mafia (SHM) is a Swedish house music supergroup consisting of Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso. The group officially formed in late 2008, were placed at number ten on the ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJ Poll 2011, and have been ...

. The Weeknd described the album's concept as a state of

purgatory Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process 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). Musically, ''Dawn FM'' is an upbeat record containing

dance-pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...

and

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

songs that are heavily inspired by the 1980s new wave,

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

and electronic dance music styles. The album received widespread acclaim from music critics, who complimented its production and melodies. Four singles—"

Take My Breath "Take My Breath" is a song by Canadian singer the Weeknd. It was released on August 6, 2021, through XO and Republic Records, as the lead single from his fifth studio album, '' Dawn FM'' (2022). The song was written and produced by the Weeknd ...

", "

Sacrifice Sacrifice is the offering of material possessions or the lives of animals or humans to a deity as an act of propitiation or worship. Evidence of ritual animal sacrifice has been seen at least since ancient Hebrews and Greeks, and possibly exi ...

", " Out of Time" and " Less than Zero"—supported the album, with "Take My Breath" peaking at number six on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The Weeknd promoted ''Dawn FM'' with an

Amazon Music Amazon Music (previously Amazon MP3) is a music streaming platform and online music store operated by Amazon. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights man ...

event on the album release day, in which he served as a disc jockey and played the album to an audience. He also promoted the album with a television music special on

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...

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. It debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart. To further support both ''After Hours'' and ''Dawn FM'', the Weeknd embarked on the

After Hours til Dawn Tour The After Hours til Dawn Tour, previously titled The After Hours Tour, is the ongoing seventh concert tour by Canadian artist the Weeknd, in support of his fourth and fifth studio albums, '' After Hours'' (2020) and ''Dawn FM'' (2022). The tour ...

. The tour began on July 14, 2022, in North America, and it is scheduled to further visit South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Australia.

Background and release

On March 20, 2020,

released his fourth studio album '' After Hours'' during the beginning of COVID-19 restrictions. It was a commercial success and received mostly positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, some of whom named it his best work yet. Shortly after, the Weeknd began working on his next studio album; in an interview with ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' 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 The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, but scrapped the project because it was "emotionally detrimental" and began working on ''Dawn FM''. The Weeknd began to tease a new album in May 2021 in an interview with ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', when he stated "if the last record is the ''After Hours'' of the night, then ''The Dawn'' is coming". He continued to tease the album with the

tentative title A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...

, ''The Dawn'', during his acceptance speeches at the 2021 ''Billboard'' Music Awards and the

2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards The 2021 iHeartRadio Music Awards were held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on May 27, 2021, and was broadcast live on Fox. Usher hosted the ceremony. Performances Performers were announced on May 11, 2021, through the iHeartRadio website. ...

. On August 2, the Weeknd released a teaser on his social media accounts titled "The Dawn is Coming", which contained a snippet of a then-unreleased song. Later that day, in a partnership with

NBC Sports NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and its d ...

and the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

, he announced the album's lead single "

", which was released on August 6. On October 4, 2021, during an episode of his

Apple Music 1 Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod), ...

radio show, ''

Memento Mori ''Memento mori'' (Latin for 'remember that you ave todie'surprise release of the album in an

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

post, which featured a screenshot of a text conversation he had with his best friend and creative director

La Mar Taylor La Mar C. Taylor (born September 17, 1990) is a Canadian artist, creative director, and entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of XO Records, and the creative director for the label's primary artist, singer the Weeknd. He is also the co-founder of t ...

. After exchanging New Year's greetings, the Weeknd messaged that "Everything feels chaotic again. Music can heal and that feels more important than another album rollout. Let's just drop the whole thing and enjoy it with the people... XO." The next day, the Weeknd hinted at the album's arrival, tweeting "wake up at dawn tomorrow". On January 3, he announced the album's official title through a trailer video and announced that it would be released on January 7, 2022. He subsequently revealed the track listing through a second trailer on January 5. On January 11, the Weeknd announced an expanded edition of the album subtitled ''Alternate World'' including two remixes and previously released single "

Moth to a Flame "Moth to a Flame" is a song by Swedish house music supergroup Swedish House Mafia and Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd. It was released on 22 October 2021 through Republic Records as the third single from the former's debut studio album ' ...

" with

. During its first week, ''Dawn FM'' was only available via

digital music Digital audio is a representation of sound recorded in, or converted into, digital form. In digital audio, the sound wave of the audio signal is typically encoded as numerical samples in a continuous sequence. For example, in CD audio, samp ...

and

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

platforms; physical copies were shipped at later dates. Addressing the initial lack of physical copies, the Weeknd took to

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

and wrote, "this doesn't matter to me. at matters is getting to experience the album together with the fans during these times."

Composition

Primarily a pop record, ''Dawn FM'' is rooted in

and

genres. Recalling

1980s File:1980s replacement montage02.PNG, 420px, From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, ''Columbia'', lifts off in 1981; US president Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ease tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the ...

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

bands such as

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depeche ...

and

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...

, the album significantly incorporates new wave,

, and EDM, alongside elements of

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...

, hip hop,

city pop is a loosely defined form of Japanese pop music that emerged in the late 1970s and peaked in the 1980s. It was originally termed as an offshoot of Japan's Western-influenced "new music", but came to include a wide range of styles – including ...

soft rock Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...

psychedelia Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...

, R&B,

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

boogie Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm,Burrows, Terry (1995). ''Play Country Guitar'', p.42. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. . "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie mus ...

, electro,

dubstep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...

drum and bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...

, and

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

. Influences of

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's ''

Off the Wall ''Off the Wall'' is the fifth studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released on August 10, 1979, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's first album released through Epic Records, the label he recorded under until his death in 2009, and t ...

'' (1979) and '' Thriller'' (1982) are also present in ''Dawn FM''.

Concept and themes

''Dawn FM'' incorporates a "

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

radio" aesthetic with

existential Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and value ...

themes, similar to American

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

record producer

's album '' Magic Oneohtrix Point Never'' (2020), which the Weeknd appeared on and executive produced under his formal name. The "103.5" station tag that the album strongly uses is a nod to the Toronto radio station Z103.5, who is known for their

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

-heavy playlists. In an interview with ''Billboard'' on November 23, 2021, the Weeknd elaborated on these themes, saying:

Artwork

The standard

album cover An album cover (also referred to as album art) is the front packaging art of a commercially released studio album or other audio recordings. The term can refer to either the printed paperboard covers typically used to package sets of and 78-r ...

of ''Dawn FM'' is shot by Matilda Finn. It features a dramatically aged version of the Weeknd as an elderly bearded man in a dark background setting with a small ray of light shining behind the back of his shoulder. The collector's and limited editions of the album, listed on the Weeknd's online store, features four alternate ''Dawn FM'' covers designed by American artist

Robert Beatty Robert Rutherford Beatty (19 October 1909 – 3 March 1992) was a Canadian actor who worked in film, television and radio for most of his career and was especially known in the UK. Early years Beatty was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton, O ...

, who also designed the album cover for OPN's ''Magic Oneohtrix Point Never''. The

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

, and indie-exclusive alternate covers were also designed by Beatty.

Promotion

Singles

On August 6, 2021, the album's lead single, "Take My Breath", was released digitally on music stores and streaming services. The song peaked at number six on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached the top ten in 21 other territories. Its music video was premiered alongside its release and was directed by Cliqua. "

" was released as the second official single in tandem with ''Dawn FM'' on January 7, 2022. Its music video was released on the same day, and was directed by Cliqua. Its storyline follows the plot previously established by the "Take My Breath" music video. The song was sent to

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

in the United States on January 11, 2022. " Out of Time" was released to American

urban adult contemporary Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...

radio on January 25, 2022, as the third official single from the album. Its music video was released on April 5, 2022, and was directed by Cliqua. " Less than Zero" was given a limited single release in France, with it being sent to contemporary hit radio on July 7, 2022, as the album's fourth single in the country.

Other songs

A music video for the album's second track "

Gasoline Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...

" was released on January 11, 2022. It follows the story arc established by the previous visuals released in support of the album and was directed by Matilda Finn. The song was set to be sent to American contemporary hit radio as the album's third single on January 18, 2022; however its release was cancelled. "

I Heard You're Married "I Heard You're Married" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd featuring American rapper Lil Wayne. It was released as the fourteenth track on the former's fifth studio album, ''Dawn FM'', on January 7, 2022. A synth-pop and electro ...

", featuring

, was originally meant to be sent to American

rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...

radio as the album's third single on January 11, 2022, but its release as a single was indefinitely cancelled. An animated music video for the album's third track "How Do I Make You Love Me?" was released on July 22, 2022. It was directed by Jocelyn Charles with some creative direction from Cliqua. On January 7, 2023, a music video for the album's tenth track "Is There Someone Else?" was released, as part of the one-year anniversary of the album's release. It was directed by Cliqua.

''103.5 Dawn FM'' livestream

On January 7, 2022, alongside the release of ''Dawn FM'', the Weeknd hosted a live event with

, in which he served as a

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...

and played the entire album in front of a small crowd. The event was live-streamed on

Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle con ...

and was directed by Micah Bickham. The Weeknd wore old makeup and prosthetics during the event, similar to the prosthetics he donned on the ''Dawn FM'' album cover. Various different shots of the livestream were turned into lyric videos for the album. The whole livestream was uploaded to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

on January 12, 2022.

''The Dawn FM Experience''

On February 21, 2022, the Weeknd announced ''The Dawn FM Experience'', a television music special with

that premiered on February 26. The special was directed by Micah Bickham and features live performances, theater and performance art for a "night out at the club." A ten-track live EP composed of the songs the Weeknd performed during the special was made available to stream exclusively on Amazon Music. ''The Dawn FM Experience'' entered the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

in March 2022, peaking at number 92.

Tour

Originally set to only support ''After Hours'', the Weeknd announced on October 18, 2021, that his upcoming seventh

concert tour A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...

would be renamed as the After Hours til Dawn Tour to incorporate elements from ''Dawn FM''.

Critical reception

''Dawn FM'' was met with widespread acclaim from music critics. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

score of 88, based on 24 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Aggregator

AnyDecentMusic? AnyDecentMusic? is a website that collates album reviews from magazines, websites, and newspapers. Primarily focused on popular music – covering rock, pop, electronic, dance, folk, country, roots, hip-hop, R&B, and rap – albums are adjudg ...

gave it 8.4 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. Describing ''Dawn FM'' as a new peak for the Weeknd, Will Dukes of ''Rolling Stone'' praised the album for its "interstellar ambitions" and "enchanting music". Mikael Wood of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' called it " the year's first great album", praising its production, melodies and vocals, while noting that ''Dawn FM'' is more positive and upbeat than his previous works. Andy Kellman of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

praised the album, stating, "In the main, this is a space for Tesfaye to fully indulge his frantic romantic side as his co-conspirators whip up fluorescent throwback

Euro-pop Europop (also spelled Euro pop) is a style of pop music that originated in Europe during the mid-to-late 1960s and developed to today's form throughout the late 1970s. Europop topped the charts throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with revivals and ...

with muscle and nuance". Rhian Daly of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' said ''Dawn FM'' "feels like the first steps on a journey for the Weeknd to find peace with himself; perhaps next time we hear from him, he'll be fully embracing the light of day." Dani Blum from ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' enjoyed and said the album conceptualizes "listening to a

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

-pop radio station in purgatory", delivering the Weeknd's most "thoughtful, melodic, and revealing project" of his career. David Smyth of ''

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'' wrote the Weeknd reaches his "pop prime" on the album. Matt Mitchell of '' Paste'' opined that ''Dawn FM'' transcends "dynamic pop grandeur and flaunts accountability in the face of death". Reviewing the album for ''Variety'', Jem Aswad stated ''Dawn FM'' is "possibly the Weeknd's best and most fully realized album to date." ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' critic Bobby Olivier praised

Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (; born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
allmusic.com known profess ...

for conferring a cohesive, "well-polished" production to the album, while still maintaining its "dexterity, punch and sex appeal." Roisin O'Connor of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' wrote the album is "a self-knowing contradiction to the Weeknd's past celebrations of impermanence via one-night stands and sleazy affairs." Writing for '' Clash'', Alex Rigotti stated the album has "some pacing issues" and lacks "character and vivacity" of its predecessor, but nevertheless is a solid follow-up with "its dramatic instrumentation and refreshed view of the world." Fellow critic Tom Hull gave it a B+ and said that, while the singer's previous albums had been "increasingly sluggish", he has "found a beat here, and even his voice has brightened up."

Year-end lists

Industry awards

Commercial performance

In the United States, ''Dawn FM'' debuted at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 with 148,000

album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, is a measurement unit in music industry to define the consumption of music that equals the purchase of one album copy. This consumption includes streaming and song downloads in addition to traditi ...

s, calculated from 173.04 million on-demand streams and 14,000 pure album copies; it was blocked from the top spot by American rapper Gunna's ''

DS4Ever ''DS4Ever'' (stylized in all caps and alternatively titled ''Drip Season 4Ever'') is the third studio album by American rapper Gunna. It was released on January 7, 2022, by YSL Records and 300 Entertainment. The album features guest appearances f ...

'', which debuted with an extra 2,300 units that week. ''Dawn FM'' marked the Weeknd's eighth top 10 entry and his first studio album since ''

Kiss Land ''Kiss Land'' is the debut studio album by Canadian singer the Weeknd. It was released on September 10, 2013, through XO and Republic Records. The album was supported by six singles: "Kiss Land", "Belong to the World", "Love in the Sky", "Live F ...

'' (2013) to debut at number two. In the United Kingdom, ''Dawn FM'' debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with over 20,000 units, becoming the Weeknd's third number-one album. It is the first album released in 2022 to top the chart.

Track listing

Notes

* signifies a co-producer * signifies an additional producer

Sample credits

* "Sacrifice" contains an interpolation from "I Want to Thank You", written by Kevin McCord, and performed by

Alicia Myers Alicia Myers (born November 20, 1957) is an American R&B musician. Beginning her music career with the band Al Hudson & the Soul Partners, who later evolved into One Way, Myers went on to a moderately successful solo career in the early 1980s, ...

. * "Out of Time" contains a sample from "Midnight Pretenders", written by Tomoko Aran and

Tetsurō Oda is a Japanese composer, record producer, and singer-songwriter. Oda gained prominence as a songwriter in Japan during the late 1980s. He composed over 50 top-ten hit singles on the Japanese Oricon chart during the 1990s, including 12 that have ...

, and performed by Aran.

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. Musicians *

The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. Known for his sonic versatility and dark lyricism, his music explores escapism, Romance (love), ...

– vocals, keyboards, programming (all tracks); bass, drums (4); background vocals (15) * OPN – keyboards, programming (1–3, 7, 10–13, 16) * Jasper Randall – choir arrangement (1, 11, 12) * Angela Parrish – choir vocals (1, 11, 12) * Anna Davidson – choir vocals (1, 11, 12) * Bri Holland – choir vocals (1, 11, 12) * Jessica Rotter – choir vocals (1, 11, 12) * Joanna Wallfisch – choir vocals (1, 11, 12) * Katie Hampton – choir vocals (1, 11, 12) * Rachel Panchal – choir vocals (1, 11, 12) * Sara Mann – choir vocals (1, 11, 12) * Sarah Margaret Huff – choir vocals (1, 11, 12) *

– voice (1, 7, 16) *

Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (; born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
allmusic.com known profess ...

– keyboards, programming (2–7, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16); bass (4, 15), drums (4); background vocals, guitar (15) *

– keyboards, programming (2–7, 10, 11, 13, 15, 16); bass (4, 15), drums (4), guitar (15) * Elvira Anderfjärd – background vocals (4) * David Bukovinszky – cello (4, 11) * Shellback – drums (4) * Magnus Sjölander – percussion (4) * Mattias Bylund – strings (4, 11) * Mattias Johansson – violin (4, 11) *

– voice (6) * Christian Love – background vocals (8) * Benny Bock – keyboards, programming (8) * Brian Kennedy – keyboards, programming (8) *

Bruce Johnston Bruce Arthur Johnston (born Benjamin Baldwin; June 27, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who is a member of the Beach Boys. Johnston also collaborated on many records with Terry Melcher (his bandmate in Bru ...

– keyboards, programming, vocal arrangement, vocals (8) * Charlie Coffeen – keyboards, programming (8) * Rex Kudo – keyboards, programming (8) *

DaHeala Jason Quenneville (born February 23, 1982), professionally known as DaHeala ( ), is a Canadian record producer and songwriter managed by SAL&CO. He has produced for artists such as the Weeknd, Halsey, Lil Uzi Vert, and Belly, among others. He wa ...

– keyboards, programming (9) * Peter Noos Johansson – trombone (11) * Josh Safdie – voice (12) *

– keyboards, programming (14) * Matt Cohn – keyboards (16), programming (2, 3, 9, 12, 13), vocal arrangement (3, 16); drums (2, 3, 12, 13) Technical * Dave Kutch – mastering * Şerban Ghenea – mixing * John Hanes – mix engineering * Jeremy Lertola – engineering (1–3, 11, 14, 15) * Matt Cohn – engineering (1–3, 6–16) * Sam Holland – engineering (1–4, 6, 10, 11, 13–16) * Shin Kamiyama – engineering (1–3, 5, 7–15) * Michael Ilbert – engineering (8) * Kevin Peterson – mastering assistance

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Footnotes

References

External links