The Weeknd Debuts New Song Sampling Neon Genesis Evangelion Theme
He performed it in Tokyo with Yoko Takahashi, who sings the anime’s opening theme “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis”
At a recent show in Tokyo, Abel Tesfaye, known as The Weeknd, unveiled a new track featuring a sampling of the theme from Neon Genesis Evangelion. He performed the song alongside Yoko Takahashi, who originally sang the series' opening theme, "A Cruel Angel’s Thesis." The title and release date for the new song are yet to be announced, but footage from the performance is available.
The visuals accompanying the performance were created by Yoko Taro, integrating elements from Tesfaye's 2007 video game NieR:Automata and the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. During the show, Tesfaye stepped back momentarily, allowing Takahashi to perform "A Cruel Angel’s Thesis" solo while he accompanied her at the back of the stage.
This performance marked the opening night of The Weeknd's After Hours Til Dawn Stadium Tour, which began in 2022. Since then, he has released two albums: a 2023 soundtrack for the critically acclaimed HBO series The Idol, and his anticipated final release as the Weeknd, Hurry Up Tomorrow, which was released in 2025. The latter was accompanied by a film directed by Trey Edward Shults and starring Barry Keoghan, Jenna Ortega, and Tesfaye himself.
Written by urgent.news from Pitchfork's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
