La Flame is heating up in anticipation of Astroworld Fest. Before Houston native Travis Scott hits the stage at NRG Park this weekend for a headlining set at the festival named after his 2018 record — which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 — he took to Instagram on Thursday (Nov. 4) to announce new music coming at midnight eastern time.
The announcement comes as a pleasant surprise for fans who have been eagerly awaiting a follow-up release to ASTROWORLD, and teaser posts from Scott dating back to mid-2020 are leading them to believe the next project will be titled Utopia. Despite his active participation on other records throughout 2021, including features on Donda, Certified Lover Boy, Life of a DON and The Melodic Blue, his most recently released single was 2020’s “FRANCHISE” featuring Young Thug and M.I.A.
The artwork is inspired heavily by the fictional ‘Bat Boy’ character that appeared in the Weekly World News tabloid paper. Stories about the character were purposely published to read as factual, and a 1992 cover story featuring a grotesque image of the character became the second-best selling issue for the tabloid. Of course, the altered artwork features Scott as the half-bat, half-man character with the words “THE TRUE DYSTOPIA IS HERE!” imposed as its headline.
“F–K IT LETS START IT UP NEW MUSIC AT MIDNIGHT,” Scott’s post caption reads.
Fans attending this year’s Astroworld Fest — which was put on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic — can expect a diverse but energetic lineup. Guests confirmed to perform alongside Scott this year include Bad Bunny, Post Malone, Tame Impala, Lil Baby, 21 Savage, SZA, Earth, Wind & Fire and Roddy Ricch, among others. Apple Music has also announced that subscribers will be able to watch Scott’s set live on Friday, Nov. 5 through the streaming service.
Check out the Bat Boy-themed single artwork below.
