The Weeknd: Saga Of The Man In The Red Suit

After The Weeknd’s halftime show at the Super Bowl, many people have questioned about where his music is going to evolve or if it is the end of an era. 

Abel Tesfaye, most commonly known as The Weeknd, is an alternative R&B performer. He had dropped out of high school in 11 grade and was employed at American Apparel. During this time, he had started writing music about his lifestyle which was drugs and partying. Eventually he landed a job with Jeremy Rose, a musician and producer. A few of his top hit songs are, “Blinding Lights”, “Save Your Tears”, and “In Your Eyes”. 

The halftime show performance intended to portray The Weeknd’s alter ego. Broken down, the “After Hours” era explained his appearance transformations, facial bandages, and the fake plastic surgery. In the After Hours album, he went in depth about his past and opened up through music. Leading up to The Weeknd’s performance, people had speculations about what they would see because of his After Hours Era. He was very secretive about what would happen during the halftime show, there were no hints or spoilers released. He did mention his “alter ego facial trauma” progression which included his Save Your Tears album that had a bloody nose and the AMA performance where he had facial bandages which was a plastic surgery visage in reference to the “Save Your Tears” music video. Before the halftime show performance, he stated to Variety, “The significance of the entire head bandages is reflecting the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrities and people manipulating themselves for superficial reasons to please and be validated.” Throughout this portion of his career, it has been methodically planned to create an elaborate storyline regarding the plastic surgery industry and celebrities pressured into being perfect. The Weeknd has impacted society by filling his songs with emotion and intensity. Nicole Heyer, who listens to The Weeknd but not a huge fan, described his music as, “it’s good for heartbreak or partying not really an in between but, his songs definitely make you feel something”. Abby McNavage, a fan since the 10th grade, stated, “The music always conveys a strong emotion and every song has passion to it”. Listeners of The Weeknd have a strong bond with the emotion and style of his music.

The future of The Weeknd is looking bright with an After Hours world tour in January 2022, with the following feature rappers: Drake, Travis Scott, and Kendrick Lamar. His newest album, “The Highlights” was recently released on February 5, 2021. He plans to hold 104 concert shows across North America and Europe. There is also anticipation for classic top charters on the radio.