Did The Weeknd Have Plastic Surgery? His New Look Explained
When you turn on to the Halftime Show on Super Bowl, you might be a little surprised to see The Weeknd. It is not because the singer isn’t flashy enough for the Super Bowl, but because he might look a little different from what you’re used to.
And before you ask, The Weeknd did not have plastic surgery. He only looks like he did, but there’s a huge reason why he did all of this.
For the past year or so, The Weeknd has turned up in different stages of, shall we say, injury to his face. It’s all part of an elaborate multi-song project in connection to his album After Hours. He’s had different bandages in his music videos, red carpet appearances, and even for his award show performances.
He’s sporting the look, stemming from the music video for the album’s first single, “Heartless,” to tell a larger story of not just a character who went through a pretty terrible night but also to make a message, said Variety. The Weeknd told the publication the whole story is a commentary on Hollywood. “The significance of the entire head bandages is reflecting on the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrity and people manipulating themselves for superficial reasons to please and be validated,” he said.
The start of a weird night
The story begins in the “Heartless” music video (posted on YouTube). The Weeknd is wearing a red jacket and gambling in Las Vegas. He seems to be enjoying a night out and appears to be having a crazy time. The video is all bright lights and sweeping close-ups; it’s imbued with frenetic energy familiar to anyone who’s ever been in Vegas.
In the “Blinding Lights” video (also on YouTube), we see more of his Vegas trip. At first, he’s walking around Sin City, and the next, he’s doubled over with a bloodied mouth. In flashbacks told throughout the video, The Weeknd is seen driving fast through the streets. He ends up being chased along the strip and ends up in a nightclub where a singer entrances him. But his night gets worse. Whoever was chasing him catches up, and he gets beaten up. So he ends the night bemused at his night.
The Weeknd explained that the guy in the video is a character and isn’t meant to be him.
He got late night hosts to go with it
Things get even more bizarre for the red suit dude, and his story continues in the next few music videos and TV appearances. He even wore the same jacket for a 2019 performance in Late Night with Stephen Colbert, performing “Heartless” in what was possibly a prequel to the music video.
For the “Until I Bleed Out” video, he’s still sporting a bloody nose and face as he’s sitting in the middle of what looks like a party. He adds a bandage to his nose and performs “Blinding Lights” on Jimmy Kimmel (via YouTube). In the performance, blood seems to seep out from his dressing, and his eye looks slightly swollen.
He managed to get Kimmel to agree to be part of the “After Hours” music video to continue the story. The video starts with The Weeknd, bandage, and red suit jacket, and finishes up on stage. As he leaves, he starts walking through the city and stumbles around a subway station.
The Weeknd said in an interview with Variety that he was inspired by several films while making the “After Hours” video. He was primarily influenced by Martin Scorsese’s film After Hours, the story of a man who experiences a series of misadventures as he makes his way home and seemingly goes mad.
Now the public is catching on
But things get a little weird during his award show performances. Many people who did not follow or didn’t realize there was a pattern to his videos were shocked when The Weeknd showed up at the virtual MTV Video Music Awards with a bloodied face. Then, while accepting his trophy at the American Music Awards, he came out with a full face of bandages, said NME. Social media was confused. Did something happen to The Weeknd? Did he hide the fact he was mugged before appearing on the red carpet?
The Weeknd told the music press that it was all part of an act to promote awareness about drunk driving. He said the idea came about from the lyrics of “Blinding Lights,” which he said was about being so intoxicated while driving that you get so distracted by the lights around you.
He acted so nonchalant about having a face covered in bandages that people were just perplexed.
He might look different at the Super Bowl
And then came the music video for “Save Your Tears.” Fresh off a snub for a Grammy nomination, Vulture noted The Weeknd is sporting a whole new look, nay, almost a whole new face.
Wearing a whole new suit jacket, this time a brighter red and studded with crystals, The Weeknd seems to have a new, more chiseled jawline. The bandages are off, and he looks to have cheek fillers. And he also looks a lot like Squidward.
This was when people started wondering if he got plastic surgery. Not so, said The Independent; it was merely all prosthetics. It seems that this is the culmination of the story he set out to tell from “Heartless,” though we have no idea what’s in store during the Halftime show.
He may show up with his new face, or he may not. He could even change his whole message. But what’s for sure is that we’re all just waiting to see the next chapter of this story.
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