Music news: The Weeknd debuts new song 'Tokyo' with Yoko Takahashi in Japan
The Weeknd kicked off the final stretch of his record-breaking stadium tour with a tribute to one of Japan's most iconic anime series, debuting a brand new song built around a 30-year-old theme song, writes Music News Blitz’s Likhanye Lolo.
The Canadian singer, real name Abel Tesfaye, played the first of two shows at Belluna Dome in Saitama on September 19, opening the Japan and wider tour dates of his After Hours Til Dawn tour.
It marked his first return to Japan in seven years.
During the show, Tesfaye debuted a new track, ‘Tokyo,’ joined onstage by Japanese singer Yoko Takahashi.
The song samples her 1995 hit ‘A Cruel Angel's Thesis,’ the opening theme to the influential anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion.
A collision of two worlds
The performance was paired with visuals created by Yoko Taro, the creative director behind the video game series NieR.
The stage imagery blended characters from both Neon Genesis Evangelion and NieR: Automata.
After the pair performed "Tokyo" together, Takahashi stayed onstage alone to perform "A Cruel Angel's Thesis" in full, with Tesfaye playing along beside her.
Sharing footage from the moment afterwards, The Weeknd credited it as "Presented by Yoko Taro ft. Yoko Takahashi."
‘Tokyo’ was performed the following night again, at the second of the two Belluna Dome shows.
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A love letter to Japan
The Tokyo stop came with an elaborate rollout beyond the music itself.
At the centre of the stage stood a 40-foot sculpture by Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama, more than twice the size of the one used earlier on the tour.
Japanese contemporary artist Tetsuya Nakamura also contributed masks worn onstage, continuing a collaboration that began in 2023.
Around the city, a train wrapped in tour artwork ran through Tokyo, and Tokyo Tower was lit in green to mark the "Kiss Land" era on September 18.
Putting retirement rumours to rest
Ahead of the shows, Tesfaye also addressed speculation about stepping away from music, telling GQ Asia: "I had a glimpse of what retirement looks like, and it isn't for me...The Weeknd isn't going anywhere."
From Tokyo, the tour continues on to Jakarta, Singapore, Seoul, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, closing out the final chapter of the After Hours Til Dawn tour.
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