The Weeknd premieres anime-inspired Tokyo with Yoko Takahashi in Japan
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The Weeknd premiered the unreleased song ‘Tokyo’ with Japanese singer Yoko Takahashi during his Asian tour dates at Belluna Dome in Saitama on 19 and 20 September. The performance combines elements of Takahashi’s ‘A Cruel Angel’s Thesis’, the iconic opening theme from Neon Genesis Evangelion, with visuals inspired by that anime and NieR:Automata, highlighting the artist’s continued interest in Japanese pop culture and multimedia collaborations.
The shows marked the beginning of the final Asian leg of the long-running After Hours Til Dawn tour, which continues through Jakarta, Singapore, Seoul, Bangkok and Hong Kong before ending in Kuala Lumpur on 4 November. ‘Tokyo’ is the second unreleased song Tesfaye has introduced live this year, following ‘Rio’ with Anitta, while his decision to continue performing reverses earlier suggestions that he would retire The Weeknd name after 2025’s Hurry Up Tomorrow.
- The Weeknd debuted ‘Tokyo’ with Yoko Takahashi in Saitama.
- The song samples Evangelion’s iconic opening theme.
- His record-breaking tour continues across Asia until November.
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The Weeknd is a Canadian pop and R&B artist who has become one of the world's most commercially successful musicians. His music combines pop, R&B and hip-hop elements and has made him a major figure in contemporary popular music worldwide.
The 'After Hours Til Dawn' tour, which began in 2022, is the highest-grossing tour by a male solo artist in history. This reflects both his enormous popularity and his commitment to touring and live performance as central aspects of his career.
The Weeknd is known for collaborating with established and emerging artists and for ambitious creative projects that blend music with visual elements and concepts from other media. His touring performances frequently feature new material alongside elaborate stage design and multimedia accompaniment.
Full account
The Canadian recording artist known professionally as The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, marked the commencement of his Asian tour leg by unveiling an original composition titled 'Tokyo'. The performance took place on 19 September at the Belluna Dome in Saitama, within the Tokyo metropolitan region, where he performed alongside Japanese vocalist Yoko Takahashi.
The newly-composed piece draws artistic inspiration from 'A Cruel Angel's Thesis', the iconic theme originally recorded by Takahashi for the 1995 animated series Neon Genesis Evangelion. The stage presentation incorporated visual elements depicting characters from the same anime series alongside imagery derived from NieR:Automata, a video game created by Yoko Taro, who oversaw the visual design of the performance. Following their collaborative rendition of 'Tokyo', Takahashi delivered a solo performance of the classic anime theme whilst Tesfaye participated from the side of the stage. The artist subsequently shared footage of the segment across social media platforms.
The Saitama performance marked the opening salvo of the concluding phase of Tesfaye's 'After Hours Til Dawn' stadium tour, which has been touring continuously since 2022. The presentation arrived as Tesfaye has reconsidered his earlier statements regarding retirement from music. Following the release of 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' in 2025—which he had characterised as his final album under The Weeknd moniker—he had suggested a possible departure from performing. He subsequently reversed this position during a Stockholm concert, declaring that he would remain active in music and expressing his commitment to his artistic career.
The premiere of 'Tokyo' represents the second previously-unreleased composition Tesfaye has presented to live audiences during 2026. In April, he introduced 'Rio', a collaboration with Brazilian artist Anitta, which featured accompanying choreography and original animation. The continuing tour will proceed through Jakarta, Singapore, Seoul, Bangkok and Hong Kong before concluding in Kuala Lumpur on 4 November, though an official release date and confirmed title for 'Tokyo' remain unannounced.
Where outlets differ
Source 1 prominently features The Weeknd's reversal of retirement plans, including his quoted remarks from a Stockholm concert and subsequent comments to GQ Hong Kong; Source 2 mentions the album was marketed as final but does not emphasise his subsequent change of direction
Source 1 specifies the complete remaining Asian tour itinerary with dates; Source 2 only describes the Belluna Dome show as opening 'the latest leg' without detailing subsequent stops
Source 1 references the 'Rio' collaboration with Anitta as another new song debuted in 2026, including mention of animator Takashi Miike; Source 2 does not address this earlier song premiere
Source 2 characterises the 'Idol' soundtrack as 'widely panned' and details the 'Hurry Up Tomorrow' film (director Trey Edward Shults, featuring Barry Keoghan and Jenna Ortega); Source 1 omits these details
Source 2 emphasises the tour's longevity with 'all the way back in 2022'; Source 1 uses 'long-running' but prioritises upcoming dates
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Originally published by NME as “The Weeknd debuts anime-sampling new song ‘Tokyo’ with Yoko Takahashi as he kicks off Asia tour”.