Timeless (The Weeknd and Playboi Carti song)

Background and promotion

The Weeknd and Playboi Carti first worked together on "Popular," a track featuring Madonna from the now-scrapped soundtrack for The Idol. After that, the Weeknd praised their collaborative chemistry in the studio and on the song. On August 26, 2024, Carti posted a photo on Instagram of himself and the Weeknd on a FaceTime call, hinting at a future joint effort. During a September 7 concert in São Paulo, Brazil, the Weeknd debuted eight songs from his upcoming album Hurry Up Tomorrow, including the first live performance of "Timeless" and a medley blending "Fein" by Travis Scott and Carti with "Until I Bleed Out."

That show came before the release of "Dancing in the Flames," which was initially planned as the album's lead single. On September 25, the Weeknd posted a screenshot from the "Timeless" music video on social media, announcing the track would drop on September 27 as the album's second single. After the album came out, "Dancing in the Flames" was cut from the tracklist, and "Timeless" was repositioned as the lead single. Its cover art shows a man wearing a King Baldwin mask with the word "Timeless" on it.

The song also became the official theme for WWE's WrestleMania 41, extending the Weeknd's streak to six straight years of providing the event's theme.

Critical reception

"Timeless" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Pitchfork's Kieran Press-Reynolds praised its "tasteful" and "seamless" sound, calling it "cosmic lounge music with catchy lyrics" such as the hook "Ever since I was a jit, knew I was the shit". He critiqued the "deeply manicured" production and strategic timing, noting that despite the title, both artists seem aware that "their fame won't last forever." The song initially saw moderate success but gained in popularity after the release of Hurry Up, Tomorrow, topping charts in India and Greece and reaching the top ten in several other countries.

Music video

The music video was teased two days before the single's release with a still picture posted on the Weeknd's Instagram. It was released on his YouTube page three days after the song's release. Directed by Gunner Stahl and LouieKnows, who had frequently worked with Playboi Carti, and produced by Sands, the video shows the two musicians performing with young women inside a dark soundstage, briefly followed by visuals of the album After Hours depicted as "Hell", the first part of Divine Comedy. The video earned a nomination for Video of the Year at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards.

Did You Know?

• The remix of "Timeless" featuring Doechii was released as promotion for the film Hurry Up Tomorrow.
• The Weeknd's verse is missing from the remix, with only Playboi Carti's part remaining intact.