The Weeknd has debuted a new song that samples one of the most famous pieces of music in anime history, premiering the track live at the opening of the Asian leg of his After Hours Til Dawn tour.
On Friday (Sept. 19), the singer, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, gave the song its live debut at Belluna Dome in Saitama, near Tokyo. He performed alongside Japanese singer Yoko Takahashi, and the track is titled “Tokyo.” It incorporates elements of “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis,” the 1995 J-pop song Takahashi recorded as the opening theme to the landmark anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion.
Takahashi Performs the Full Theme
During the segment, Takahashi also performed “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” in full as Tesfaye stepped back and watched from the rear of the stage. The performance was staged as a full multimedia collaboration.
The accompanying visuals were directed by Yoko Taro, the creative director behind the NieR video game series. Taro drew on imagery from both Neon Genesis Evangelion and 2017’s NieR: Automata. Tesfaye credited the piece on social media only as “Presented by YOKO TARO ft. YOKO TAKAHASHI.”
The Second City Debut of the Tour
It’s the second time on the current tour that Tesfaye has debuted a new song tied to the city he was performing in.
In April, he premiered an unreleased track, widely dubbed “Rio,” with Brazilian star Anitta during a stop in Rio de Janeiro.
The Tour’s Long Run
The After Hours Til Dawn tour has been running since 2022. It launched behind his 2020 blockbuster After Hours and its 2022 follow-up Dawn FM, and one of the most commercially dominant artists of the streaming era, the Weeknd, has notched five No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200: Beauty Behind the Madness (2015), Starboy (2016), the My Dear Melancholy EP (2018), After Hours (2020) and Hurry Up Tomorrow. His Hot 100 No. 1s include “Can’t Feel My Face,” “Starboy,” “Heartless,” “Save Your Tears” and “Blinding Lights,” the last of which Billboard named the No. 1 song on its all-time Hot 100 chart.
The City-Linked Debut Pattern
Performing new songs tied to the cities where he plays is a clear pattern on this tour. The “Rio” debut in April used Anitta’s presence to mark the Brazilian stop.
This time, it’s a Japanese collaboration with Takahashi and Taro that marks the Saitama leg. The two songs have different guests and different cultural connections, but they share the same structural idea: a new track introduced in the city where it was played.
A Sample of a Decades-Old Classic
“A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” is a track with a built-in audience. It’s a piece of music deeply tied to anime history, and Tesfaye’s version borrows from it.
What This Means for the Weeknd’s Future
Tesfaye has spent recent years hinting that he might step away from the Weeknd name entirely. Hurry Up Tomorrow was billed as his final release under the moniker.
Whether “Tokyo” becomes a single or stays a live-only track is not yet known. What is known is that the Weeknd played it for a crowd in Saitama, and that crowd heard it first.
The Visual Collaboration
The visuals for the performance were directed by Yoko Taro, known for his work on NieR. The imagery drew on both Neon Genesis Evangelion and NieR: Automata.
Tesfaye’s social media credit — “Presented by YOKO TARO ft. YOKO TAKAHASHI” — puts Taro’s name before his own.
Key Facts
- The song is titled “Tokyo”
- It samples “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis,” recorded in 1995 by Yoko Takahashi for Neon Genesis Evangelion
- The performance took place at Belluna Dome in Saitama, near Tokyo, on Sept. 19
- The Asian leg of the After Hours Til Dawn tour has been running since 2022
- The Weeknd has five No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200
Running Order
| Event | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| “Tokyo” live debut | Sept. 19 | Belluna Dome, Saitama |
| “Rio” live debut | April | Rio de Janeiro |
| After Hours Til Dawn tour launch | 2022 | Behind After Hours and Dawn FM |
| Hurry Up Tomorrow release | 2025 | Final release billed under the Weeknd name |
The Verdict on the Debut
The choice to sample “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” is a bold one, given how central that theme is to anime history. It’s a track with a built-in audience, and Tesfaye’s version gives that audience a fresh way to hear it.
The performance was a multimedia collaboration directed by Yoko Taro, and the song’s credit puts Taro’s name before Tesfaye’s own.
The fact that the Weeknd has debuted two new songs tied to specific cities on this tour — Rio and now Tokyo — suggests he is using the live format as a way to introduce new material.
The track remains unreleased, and its official title — “Tokyo” — has not been confirmed outside of the live premiere. The live debut itself is the story so far.
The singer has not said whether “Tokyo” will be released as a single or as part of an upcoming album. For now, the track exists as a live performance, and fans who were there in Saitama heard it first.
That is the kind of moment that builds a following. An artist who performs new songs live, especially in cities where they play, gives audiences a reason to show up and stay curious. The fact that Tesfaye has done this twice on the same tour suggests it is a strategy he is comfortable with, even as he has signaled he might step away from the name entirely.
The Weeknd’s live debut of “Tokyo” is a reminder that a pop star can still do something surprising with a piece of music that has been around for decades. The sample itself is a statement about the power of a melody, and the live performance is a statement about the artist’s reach.
The song is new, the sample is old, and the performance took place in Saitama. What is known is that the Weeknd played it for a crowd there, and that crowd heard it first.
Source material: “The Weeknd Debuts New Song Sampling ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ Theme in Japan,” Billboard.
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