Who is The Weeknd? Meet the Super Bowl 2021 halftime show performer
Everything you need to know about the singer.
Super Bowl 2021 is going full steam ahead with reigning champions Kansas City Chiefs up against Tom Brady's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but tonight is about more than sport. The Super Bowl halftime show is near.
Spacey pop and R&B singer The Weeknd will take to the field for the Super Bowl halftime show, following in the footsteps of greats like Beyonce, Prince and Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, who teamed up for last year's event.
Here's everything you need to about The Weeknd and his halftime show performance.
Who is The Weeknd?
Born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye in Canada, The Weeknd first rose to fame in 2012 when he assisted fellow Canadian Drake on Crew Love, which made it to the Billboard Hot 100.
Shortly after, his solo song Wicked Games also made it onto the list, becoming famous for his unique blend of R&B, hip hop and pop.
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The 30-year-old has gone onto write many global hits, including Can't Feel My Face, Starboy and I Feel It Coming, becoming one of the world's best-selling music artists.
He has won three Grammys, nine Billboard Music Awards and was even nominated for an Academy Award for his song Earned It, which was featured in 50 Shades of Grey.
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The Weeknd's Super Bowl halftime performance
We don't know exactly what The Weeknd will be performing on the night but we'd expect his biggest hits to be included in the event, enhanced by stunts and possibly a high-profile cameo or two.
Speaking to Billboard, The Weeknd said it would be a "cinematic experience" and even added $7 million of his own money to help bring his vision to life for the event.
The artist released a teaser on Twitter.
The performances usually last roughly between 12 and 13 minutes, so we can expect something quite spectacular with that budget.
The Weeknd's 'surgery' explained
Despite appearing first with a bloody, bandaged face and then with plastic surgery prosthetics at various award ceremonies, The Weeknd hasn't actually had any plastic surgery.
It is all – including the red suit jacket – a reference to his character in the music video After Hours. And also a commentary on Hollywood. "The significance of the entire head bandages is reflecting on the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrity and people manipulating themselves for superficial reasons to please and be validated," he told Variety.
You can watch the music for After Hours below.
The Super Bowl takes place Sunday 7th February 2021. If you’re looking for something else to watch check out our TV Guide.
