The Weeknd used this past weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Live to debut his new song “Scared to Live.” The performance showed the singer wearing bloody makeup and gauze on his nose to make it appear as if he was just punched in the face. Thankfully, this was not really the case, as it is all part of his look as he promotes the new album After Hours.
“Scared to Live” began with some familiar notes. Oneohtrix Point Never, whose real name is Daniel Lopatin, played notes from his acclaimed synth score to Uncut Gems and accompanied The Weeknd for the rest of the performance. Uncut Gems fans picked up on it instantly, and celebrated the movie being referenced months after its theatrical release.
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The bloody aesthetic is part of The Weeknd’s look for After Hours. The video for his single “Blinding Lights” showed him getting the injured nose, and the video for “After Hours” appeared to carry on the story. It began with him sporting a clean red suit as he goes out on a night-time adventure. At one point, he is punched in the face by a bouncer. Both videos were directed by Anton Tammi, who previously directed The Weeknd’s “Heartless” video and Halsey’s “Clementine.”
The Weeknd also appears bloody on the cover of After Hours, which hits stores on March 20. It is his first full-length studio album since 2016’s Starboy, and his first studio release since the 2018 EP My Dear Melancholy. Tammi took the After Hours cover photo and the title was designed by Temmi’s brother Aleski Temmi.
The singer’s tour for After Hours kicks off on June 11 and 12 with a two-night stand in Vancouver. The North American leg wraps up at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sept. 3, then The Weeknd heads out for a European leg from October to November. Don Toliver, Sabrina Claudio and 66Glam are The Weeknd’s supporting acts.
“I feel confident with where I’m taking this [new] record,” The Weeknd told CR Fashion Book. “There’s also a very committed vision and character being portrayed and I get to explore a different side of me that my fans have never seen.”
As part of the lead-up to After Hours, The Weeknd appeared in Uncut Gems, playing a fictional 2012 version of himself. Although his time on screen was short, he played an important part, even getting into a big fight with Adam Sandler’s Howard Ratner and performing “The Morning.”
Photo credit: Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
