The 2020 American Music Awards hosted one of the first in-person red carpets in — checks watch — forever, and as expected, celebrities were dressed to the nines. (The no-mask thing on the carpet was a pretty questionable choice, not gonna lie). The Weeknd, however, seemed to have missed the memo, and went his own route.
The Weeknd arrived to the AMAs in a red suit, with his head and nose bandaged and eyes bruised, as if he had been in a bad accent. Don't worry, it's not real — this is simply the singer sporting another injured-chic look — part of a trend or persona that he's been keeping up ever since the release of his newest album After Hours and music video for his single "Blinding Lights." The singer's "wounds" seem to grow with every public appearance. In March, he sang on SNL with a broken nose; In August for the 2020 MTV VMAs he performed on stage with bruises on his face, and he accepted the award on stage for Favorite Album - Soul/R&B later during the night at the AMAs with his face wrapped. He was also spotted filming a new music video looking even more bandaged and beaten up than ever before.
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The singer seems to be simply promoting his album visually (how very BTS of him), but he's also said that the look underscored a "darker undertone" at the heart of his new music's narrative arc.
In an interview with Esquire, The Weeknd said the "Blinding Lights" video is about "how you want to see someone at night, and you're intoxicated, 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."
Will The Weeknd be wheeled into to the 2021 Grammys in a full body cast? Lady Gaga is shaking.