The Weeknd (real name: Abel Tesfaye) stars in Pepsi’s new Super Bowl LV Halftime Show TV ad – rolling up in a vintage convertible to a guard jamming to his Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Blinding Lights.” And, don’t worry, his face is back to normal.
Last week, The Weeknd shocked fans when he debuted a major transformation on the music video for “Save Your Tears” – his face appeared heavily altered with plastic surgery. However, it appears to all be just dramatic facial prosthetics to make him look completely unrecognizable.
As a reminder, The Weeknd has been rocking a bloody bandaged look all year last year for his After Hours era – debuting the bloody look in his music video for “Blinding Lights.” When he performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live, he had a bandage across his nose and blood dripping down his face. The look carried on even when he performed at the 2020 American Music Awards. He finally ~revealed~ what’s underneath when he dropped the music video for “Save Your Tears.”
The whole bandage schtick appears to be part of a narrative of a character he’s portraying to go with his latest album, After Hours. In the ad though, The Weeknd looks like his normal self again – and the smirk he gives the security guard is iconic.
Super Bowl LV is right around the corner and The Weeknd is gearing up to take the stage for the iconic Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show.
“We all grow up watching the world’s biggest acts playing the Super Bowl, and one can only dream of being in that position,” he said in a statement. “I’m humbled, honored and ecstatic to be the center of that infamous stage this year.”
Super Bowl LV is set to go down on February 7, 2021 at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Football fans can watch live – in a limited capacity. According to ESPN, the game “will have a max capacity of 25% for fans as that is the maximum allowed under NFL and CDC guidelines.”
