Why Fans Think the Weeknd's 'Cry for Me' Is About Ex Bella Hadid

The Weeknd's new album Hurry Up Tomorrow has arrived.

The project serves as the third and final installment of his After Hours and Dawn FM trilogy that has been ongoing since 2020. The project features several of the biggest names in music such as Lana Del Rey and and Travis Scott, as well as Future.

However, there could be another person on the album that relates to The Weeknd's past -- that being his ex and model Bella Hadid. In the song "Cry for Me," fans have begun to speculate that the song is about their former relationship.

On the track, The Weeknd sings: "And I hope you cry for me like I cry for you / Every night for you, take it easy on me, baby / 'Cause I tried with you, saw my life with you / End of time with you, now we're strangers," an obvious reference to a breakup or failed past relationship.

Additionally, many have pointed to one lyric in particular that could be about Hadid and the aftermath of her split with the singer.

"In this penthouse prison, I'm alone," he sings at the end of the second verse.

After The Weeknd and Bella Hadid had broken up, it was revealed that he purchased a penthouse apartment in Los Angeles mere months after calling it off with Hadid. He has since sold the space for $19 million, according to Mansion Global.

The Weeknd and Hadid dated on-and-off for four years between 2015 and 2019. Over the course of their relationship, Hadid stared in the music video for his song "In the Night." They made their red carpet debut in 2016.

During one of their splits, The Weeknd had moved on with Selena Gomez. After breaking up, Hadid spoke to Teen Vogue and shared that she will always love and respect the singer.

"It was my first breakup ... and so public. As an outsider, you might think I handled it so well, but it's always in your heart, and you always feel it very heavily. It'll be hard for a while. Love hurts, but you have to pull through. But I'll always respect him, and I'll always love him," she said.

Fans have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on the song and how they think that it is related to Hadid.

"Enough time has passed. Cry for me is about Bella. Save your tears then he wants her to cry toxic asl," one X user wrote.

"The Bella Hadid effect," another shared along with a link to the song.

"Yo 'Cry For Me' is so about Bella he can't over her," added another.

"I too would write 'Cry for Me' if i fumbled Bella Hadid," added another.

The Weeknd has yet to confirm the news that the song is about Hadid. However, many believe that he referenced her in a song from his My Dear Melancholy project in 2018. On "Water Time" he references an equestrian, and Hadid used to compete in equestrian riding before her Lyme disease forced her to quit in 2016.

Hadid has since moved on with cowboy Adan Banuelos and they've been together for over a year. The couple went public with their relationship on Valentine's Day 2024. In September, Banuelos told W magazine Hadid was the love of his life.

"If it wasn't for horses, I'd have never met the love of my life," Banuelos told the outlet. "We met at a horse show ... I was just a lucky guy that said hi. I didn't really know who I was saying hi to. I just knew, she's gorgeous. And if I would've known, I probably would've stuttered my way right out it."

Tags

The Weeknd, Bella Hadid