Maps of Music

Dawn FM (2022)

Where the lyrics of Dawn FM take you, and where it was really made.

Announced on January 3 and released on January 7, 2022, the album is framed as a radio station heard from purgatory.

Key places

Recorded at Republic in Los Angeles (2022)

Recording site Republic (Los Angeles) — Wikipedia lists Republic in Los Angeles as a recording location for Dawn FM. The point uses the city-centre or building-level coordinate from the candidate record. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Westlake Recording Studios (2022)

Recording site Westlake Recording Studios — Wikipedia links Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles as a recording location for Dawn FM. The point uses the candidate's building-level coordinate. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Dawn FM: fifth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter the Weeknd
• Released January 7, 2022 by XO and Republic Records
• Guest appearances by Tyler, the Creator and Lil Wayne
• Narration by Jim Carrey, Quincy Jones, and Josh Safdie
• Generally upbeat record of dance-pop and synth-pop songs
• Heavily inspired by 1980s new wave, funk, and electronic dance music
• Second instalment of a trilogy after After Hours (2020), preceding Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025)

Background

• Previous album After Hours released March 20, 2020, at the start of COVID-19 restrictions
• Weeknd first worked on an album reflecting his depressive state during the pandemic, but scrapped it as emotionally detrimental
• Lead single Take My Breath released August 6, 2021
• On October 4, 2021, he said on the Apple Music 1 show Memento Mori that the album was complete
• Title announced January 3, 2022, with release set for January 7
• Alternate World edition announced January 11, with two remixes and Moth to a Flame with Swedish House Mafia

Recording

• Production mainly handled by the Weeknd alongside Max Martin, OPN, Oscar Holter, Swedish House Mafia, and Calvin Harris
• Album cites Michael Jackson's Off the Wall and Thriller as influences

Cover

• Standard cover shot by Matilda Finn, showing an aged, bearded version of the Weeknd in a dark setting
• Collector's and limited editions feature alternate covers designed by Robert Beatty

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Abel Tesfaye, born February 16, 1990, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada; Ethiopian immigrant parents
• Began releasing music anonymously on YouTube in 2009; stage name derived from a weekend moved to Parkdale
• Co-founded the XO record label in 2011 with Wassim Slaiby, Amir Esmailian and La Mar Taylor

Members

• Solo artist; collaborators include producers Illangelo and Doc McKinney, and creative director La Mar Taylor

Career

• Debut mixtape House of Balloons (2011), followed by Thursday and Echoes of Silence; compiled into Trilogy (2012) after signing with Republic Records
• Studio albums Kiss Land (2013), Beauty Behind the Madness (2015), Starboy (2016), After Hours (2020), Dawn FM (2022), Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025)
• Blinding Lights named the best-performing song in Billboard Hot 100 history; first artist to surpass 100 million monthly listeners on Spotify
• Headlined the Super Bowl LV halftime show (2021); After Hours til Dawn Tour set a record for highest-grossing tour by a male soloist
• Co-created and starred in HBO series The Idol (2023) and the film Hurry Up Tomorrow (2025)
• Named UN World Food Programme goodwill ambassador in 2021

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic average score 88 from 24 reviews, indicating universal acclaim
• AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.4 out of 10 based on critical consensus
• Rolling Stone's Will Dukes described it as a new peak for the Weeknd, praising its interstellar ambitions
• Los Angeles Times' Mikael Wood called it the year's first great album, noting it is more positive and upbeat than his previous works
• AllMusic's Andy Kellman praised the album as a space for the singer to indulge his romantic side
• NME's Rhian Daly said it feels like the first steps on a journey toward inner peace
• Pitchfork's Dani Blum called it the most thoughtful, melodic, and revealing project of his career
• Variety's Jem Aswad called it possibly his best and most fully realized album to date
• Spin's Bobby Olivier praised Max Martin for a cohesive, well-polished production
• The Independent's Roisin O'Connor called it a self-knowing contradiction to his past celebrations of impermanence
• Clash's Alex Rigotti noted some pacing issues but called it a solid follow-up

Records

• US: debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 148,000 album-equivalent units
• Blocked from the top spot by Gunna's DS4Ever; marked the Weeknd's eighth top 10 entry
• Take My Breath peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100
• UK: debuted at number one with over 20,000 units, his third UK number one
• First album released in 2022 to top the UK Albums Chart
• Also topped the Canadian Albums Chart and nine other national album charts
• Topped the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in February 2022
• RIAA certified platinum on July 17, 2023, for over one million album-equivalent units in the US

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Station tag 103.5 used on the album is a nod to Toronto radio station Z103.5, known for dance-heavy playlists.
• The Weeknd described the album's concept as a listener stuck in purgatory, guided by a radio host toward the light.
• Dawn FM was announced as the second part of a trilogy, after After Hours.
• Standard cover photographed by Matilda Finn; collector's and limited editions use alternate covers by Robert Beatty.
• The Dawn FM Experience, a TV music special with Amazon Prime Video, entered the UK Albums Chart in March 2022 at number 92.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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