Following much anticipation, a release date has officially been set for The Weeknd and Future’s upcoming collaboration. The Toronto singer confirmed the single, “New Fantasy” from The Idol Vol. 1 would arrive on April 20th at midnight. The announcement follows The Weeknd’s live stream on Instagram on Monday where he teased the record during a session with Mike Dean. Some fans have already dubbed it as the most toxic song of the century and we’re inclined to believe that’s true, given their track record together.
Future and The Weeknd certainly aren’t strangers to one another. The two developed a strong rapport over the years. They initially collided on Mike Will Made-It’s “Drinks On Us” in 2015 but since then, they’ve joined forces on some of the best records in their respective catalogs. In 2016, they teamed up on Future’s “Low Life” from EVOL. Shortly after, Future returned the favor on The Weeknd’s “All I Know” off of Starboy. Hopefully, “New Fantasy” lives up to the hype of their previous work together.
The Weeknd & Future Reunite
The new single will kick off the official campaign for The Weeknd’s upcoming series, The Idol on HBO. Though the series already faced setbacks, as well as the controversy surrounding the set and rewrites, The Weeknd and co-creator Sam Levinson are taking the show to Cannes Film Festival for its official debut. The Idol, which also stars Lily-Rose Depp, also landed an official debut on HBO Max on June 4th, 2023. We’re excited to see how this turns out when it debuts later this month.
During a recent interview with Interview Magazine, the singer explained that he wanted to dive into a new field outside of music. He explained that with his character Tedros, he’s able to tap into a different perspective. “What drew me to play him was just getting to pretend to be someone else. It was a challenge, because The Weeknd, obviously, isn’t me,” he said. “But I drew a lot from myself to create that character. Tedros is nothing like me… Vulnerability is key in the characters you play, no matter how evil they are. If you can find the vulnerability in them, somehow they become likable.”