The Weeknd, 30, proved his bandage-covered face at the 2020 American Music Awards was a setup for his “Save Your Tears” music video, when he showed off impressive prosthetic fillers in the new release. The singer looked unrecognizable in the video, which premiered on Jan. 5, as he flaunted a fuller face that was made to look like the result of plastic surgery around his cheeks and lips. The special effects makeup also included surgical scarring around his ears.
The eye-catching video starts off with The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel, singing to a crowd of people in masks while wearing a sequined red blazer over a black top with a black tie and black pants. He added to the stylish wardrobe with black boots and black gloves and eventually stepped off the stage to continue singing the song among the crowd.
Things intensify when the talented crooner starts disrespecting the crowd with surprising actions such as sipping a man’s drink, putting his arm on a man’s head, and eventually standing on a table while spraying champagne in their faces. He then spots an unmasked woman in the crowd and brings her up on the stage before things take an even darker turn when he pulls out a gun and makes her hold it against his forehead. She screams and after a fade to black, he’s holding the gun and waves it around the nonresponsive crowd before he puts it up to his own head, pulls the trigger, and fires out confetti.
The Weeknd’s latest music video isn’t the first one that’s been dark. He gave off similar vibes with the videos for “Blinding Lights”, “In Your Eyes”, and “Too Late”. He also hinted that his next album may have an equally serious theme because it’s been inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have been more inspired and creative during the pandemic than I might normally be while on the road,” he said in an interview with the TMRW special edition zine. “The pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and the tensions of the election have mostly created a sense of gratitude for what I have and closeness with the people near me.”