Remember when Lady Gaga would turn up at events in the most unexpected get-ups?
Well, the Weeknd seems to be taking a page from her book this year – having appeared not once, not twice but thrice while sporting injuries and swaddled in bandages. All three times, however, the injuries have been fake. He first appeared on Saturday Night Live sporting a “broken nose” in March before kicking it up a notch at the MTV VMAs in August. Here, he shocked with a bruised and bloodied face. He then performed ‘In Your Eyes’ and ‘Save Your Tears’ with the “injuries”.
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Now, his most recent appearance at the American Music Awards (AMAs) in California is going viral. Decked out in the red jacket that has become a trademark since the release of his latest album ‘After Hours’, The Weeknd – born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye – didn’t have a mask on, but instead, had his whole head wrapped up. Again, none of his injuries were real – however, his message and reason for donning such heavy imagery – is very, very real.
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In an interview with Esquire from earlier this year, the Canadian explained that the chart-topper from ‘After Hours’ – ‘Blinding Lights’ – was about …
“… how you want to see someone at night, and you’re under the influence, and you’re driving to this person and you’re just blinded by streetlights, but nothing could stop you from trying to go see that person, because you’re so lonely. I don’t want to ever promote drunk driving, but that’s what the dark undertone is.”
With that being said, the 30-year-old had made it a point to tell a story at every appearance – a visual story using makeup and bandages – of the dangers of driving under the influence. The message has been both subtle in the undercurrents of the songs in ‘After Hours’ as well as jarring, in the persona that The Weeknd has been portraying throughout the year. His message, however, has not been lost – these are the kinds of injuries you can expect (if not worse) if you were to drive under the influence.
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As his “injuries” grow more serious with every appearance, fans are already speculating as to how The Weeknd is going to look at his upcoming headliner performance at the 2021 Super Bowl. The Toronto native took home awards for the “Favourite Male Artist”, “Favourite Album” and “Favourite Song” in the Soul/R&B categories at the AMAs over the weekend.
*Cover image credits: Instagram / @theweeknd
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