Rumors that The Weeknd and Angelina Jolie are dating have been circulating for months now. Both have remained mum on the subject, but did The Weeknd just confirm their relationship in his new song? Some fans are convinced. 

The new track, titled “Here We Go… Again”—off his new album, Dawn FM—contains lyrics talking about a “movie star.” And some think the “movie star” in question is Jolie. 

“And my new girl, she a movie star/My new girl, she a movie star,” The Weeknd sings on the track. “I loved her right, make her scream like Neve Campbell/But when I make her laugh, swear it cures my depressin’ thoughts/’Cause baby girl, she a movie star/Baby girl, she a movie star/I told myself that I’d never fall/But here we go again.” 

“my new girl, she a movie star” me: ang—angelina jolie?” one fan tweeted. 

“The Weeknd says his girls a movie star so he’s really dating Angelina Jolie then??” added another listener. 

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“So the movie star is Angelina Jolie in here we go again, right?” wrote someone else. 

So what is the truth? Well, The Weeknd and Angelina Jolie haven’t confirmed their relationship. They’ve been spotted a few times having dinner, but insiders say this could’ve just been for business. “They’re clearly not trying to hide [the dinner date],” a source told told Page Six. “He’s definitely focused on getting to the movie business. He has the new HBO series he’s starring in.”

That being said, here’s what a source told Us Weekly back in September: “Both Angie and Abel are telling people they are just friends, but those who know them think something romantic is going on.” 

They added, “She’s definitely warming toward Abel. He’s been pouring on the charm and going out of his way to impress her.”

Maybe one way he did that was…writing a song about her. Let’s file this under “wait and see.” 

The Weeknd released his fifth studio album, Dawn FM, on Friday, January 7, and it’s an incredible listen. The record is an eclectic yet cohesive collection of slick, macabre dance pop—narrated, interestingly, by actor Jim Carrey. 

Also interesting is the album’s cover. On it The Weeknd is wearing makeup and prosthetics that age him something like 40 years. His hair is gray, he has liver spots, and his skin is wrinkly and withered. See the look for yourself, below: 

So what is the inspiration behind The Weeknd’s look? He hasn’t explained explicitly, but nuggets on the album give hints. Voice-overs from Carrey confirm much of this album is about death—seeing a light at the end of your time on earth and walking toward it. It’s possible that, with this album cover, The Weeknd is portraying himself at the end of his own life. 

“You’ve been in the dark for way too long / It’s time to walk into the light / And accept your fate with open arms / Scared? Don’t worry / We’ll be there to hold your hand and guide you through this painless transition,” Carrey says at the end of the album’s title track. 

On another song, “Out of Time”—an apt title for this theme—Carrey says, “Because, like the song says, you are out of time / You’re almost there, but don’t panic / There’s still more music to come / Before you’re completely engulfed in the blissful embrace of that little light you see in the distance / Soon you’ll be healed, forgiven, and refreshed / Free from all trauma, pain, guilt, and shame.” 

By the end of the album, on a track called “Phantom Regret by Jim,” the “light” is no longer in the distance. Life is coming to a close. “When you’re all out of time, there’s nothing but space / No hunting, no gathering, no nations, no race,” Carrey says. “And heaven is closer than those tears on your face. When the purple rain falls, we’re all bathed in its grace.” 

The Weeknd is clearly thinking a lot about death and mortality on this record. That, naturally, comes with thinking about age. And the cover of Dawn FM reflects that. 

Following his After Hours era, which saw The Weeknd wearing bloody bandages on his face to convey a message, it seems the artist has another concept album on his hands. One that’s very fun to dance to. Stream here.

Angelina Jolie and The Weeknd were spotted having dinner together for a second time, and now relationship speculation is flying. Of course, they could just be friends or working together professionally, but that’s not stopping social media from doing its thing. 

On Saturday night (September 25), Page Six reports the “Blinding Lights” singer and Maleficent star arrived separately at Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, California. According to The Daily Mail, after a couple of hours inside, they were photographed leaving together. 

This isn’t their first dinner together, either. On June 30, they were spotted for the first time having dinner, also at Giorgio Baldi. Coincidence? Who’s to say? 

After their first dinner, a source told Page Six that The Weeknd is looking to break into film and that he and Jolie could’ve simply been meeting for business.

“They’re clearly not trying to hide [the dinner date],” the insider told Page Six. “He’s definitely focused on getting to the movie business. He has the new HBO series he’s starring in.”

Both stars are busy with their own projects. On November 5, Jolie will make her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as Thena in Eternals. Jolie’s brief appearance in the trailer broke the internet; in it, she’s wielding a glowing sword and looking very much the Marvel superhero. Meanwhile, The Weeknd is set to co-write and star in the new HBO series The Idol. The singer’s only acting credit before this show is his role in Uncut Gems, so it makes sense that he may want to pick Angelia Jolie’s brain. 

So what can we expect? More Italian dinner dates? An Angelina Jolie feature on the next album? A Weeknd cameo in Eternals? Three’s a trend, so we’re keeping our eyes peeled for another dinner date, probably at Giorgio Baldi. (Though wouldn’t it be incredible if they went to Olive Garden? Just saying!)

Men and women can totally be friends, and there’s every chance this was just a chill dinner between pals, or a business meeting. But also: What if Angelina Jolie is dating The Weeknd? How fun would that be?

The Maleficent star and the “Blinding Lights” singer were both caught leaving Hollywood restaurant Giorgio Baldi on the night of Wednesday, June 30. Page Six reports they exited separately but reportedly “spent hours” together inside. “They’re clearly not trying to hide [the dinner date],” a source told the outlet, adding, “He’s definitely focused on getting to the movie business. He has the new HBO series he’s starring in.” 

The Weeknd is set to write and star in an upcoming series about a pop singer and a club owner/cult leader; he recently appeared in the Adam Sandler-starring Uncut Gems and even wrote an episode of American Dad last year, so, truly, maybe he was just picking Angie’s brain about acting and stuff. She is, after all, an Academy Award-winning actor who has also produced and directed her own projects.

But on the other hand, can we playfully speculate for the hottest little second? These two have more in common than you might think. In her wilder, younger days, Jolie once turned up on a red carpet wearing a vial of Billy Bob Thornton’s blood around her neck. And The Weeknd’s most recent red carpet shtick was covering his face in bloody bandages. We smell a (potentially) spooky sexy time!

Just a couple weeks ago, Angelina Jolie was spotted exiting the apartment building (twice) of her ex-husband Jonny Lee Miller, prompting speculation of a Bennifer-style reunion. Maybe she’s just having a Hot Angelina Jolie Summer! The Weeknd, meanwhile, has previously been linked to Selena Gomez and Bella Hadid, but we haven’t heard much about his romantic life recently. Whatever’s happening with him and the mom of six now, we’re all for it. Even if it’s just platonic. 

Can you build the perfect girlfriend? That’s what The Weeknd tries to do in his new music video collaboration with Ariana Grande. In the video for “Save Your Tears (Remix),” which dropped on Friday, April 23, an animated avatar of the singer operates an assembly line factory to create a doll of Grande. 

Billboard reports that this is the duo’s third collaboration, after duets on Grande’s 2020 album Positions (“Off the Table”) and her 2014 album My Everything (“Love Me Harder”). Both artists teased the remix on Twitter, even revealing cover art for the track.

Alongside a countdown to the song, Grande posted pictures of what appears to be her recording her part of the song, kneeling in a black dress and heels in front of a microphone and computer.

Both musicians have been keeping busy this year, despite the pandemic. The Weeknd performed a medley of his hits at the Super Bowl, surrounded by dancers sporting face bandages during a set he put $7 million of his own money into. Even so, the most valuable thing to come out of that evening may have been the meme of him wandering, confused, through a hall of mirrors.

And of course, Grande released Positions. She also snagged a new fiancé, Dalton Gomez, whom she started dating in January 2020 and grew close to during quarantine. They announced their engagement in December 2020 and have been keeping things pretty low-key since then, mostly snuggling, at least, according to Grande’s ’gram.

But things should be picking up soon. Grande was recently announced as the next judge on NBC’s singing competition series The Voice, replacing current judge Nick Jonas. Can we get a “Save Your Tears (Remix)” live performance the first time they have to send someone home? It’s a good lesson for the occasion….

The Weeknd spent $7 million of his own money on his Super Bowl LV halftime performance.

As Yahoo! reports, the NFL does not compensate musical performers, but they do “help cover production costs” up to an unknown number. But that number fell $7 million short of what The Weeknd needed, so he ponied it up himself. (His manager confirmed this in interview with Billboard.) Perhaps he was thinking a good performance would help his numbers in other areas, and he’d make up the cash in no time. It’s worked before! Previous halftime performers have seen an increase in album sales or streams. As of publish time on February 8, The Weeknd occupied seven of the top 10 spots on the iTunes chart. 

His performance was bright, fun, and very meme-able. As he wandered through a lit-up funhouse, The Weeknd’s “looking around” expression became a huge joke on Twitter. And his dancers had their faces covered in bandages, which is…one way to incorporate a face mask into a costume! (But real talk, there’s a reason behind the look.)

As the Yahoo! article notes, the artist’s performance comes a week before the Grammys were supposed to happen (the awards have since been pushed to March). There are rumors The Weeknd’s lack of nominations is why he isn’t performing at the awards show, but Team Grammys insists there’s no beef. That being said, The Weeknd did tweet this:

In a way, The Weeknd’s Super Bowl halftime show was a multimillion-dollar preview of the upcoming After Hours Tour. In 2022, The Weeknd will finally be able to take his album on the road (coronavirus guidelines willing). Tickets go on sale literally today, February 8, one day after the Super Bowl. Very sneaky, Mr. Tesfaye. We see you.

Watch his full halftime show, below: 

The Weeknd delivered an A+ Super Bowl halftime show that featured all his big hits, a gorgeous set, and dancers wearing face bandages (more info on that here). 

But perhaps the most memorable part of the show was the “looking around” meme that hit social media moments after The Weeknd wrapped. During one part of his show, the “Starboy” singer was surrounded by twinkling gold lights and feverishly looked around like he was in distress. Twitter users captured this clip and applied their own captions to it, like “Every anxiety dream I’ve had since mid-March,” “Me stumbling to my iced coffee in the morning,” and—my personal favorite—”Trying to find Chromatica Oreos.” 

The memes can do the talking better than I can, so go ahead and check them out, below: 

Long live this meme! See the performance it was taken from, below:

The Weeknd’s halftime performance was a dazzling, technicolor dream, in which he ripped through all his classics: “Starboy!” “Blinding Lights!” “The Hills!” As for why his dancers wore face bandages, it’s all part of an aesthetic. “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,” The Weeknd  told Variety ahead of his performance. 

“We can’t wait to welcome multi-award-winning artist The Weeknd to the Pepsi Super Bowl LV halftime show stage,” Adam Harter, senior vice president of sports, media, and entertainment at PepsiCo., said in a statement when The Weeknd’s performance was announced a few months ago. “In collaboration with the NFL and Roc Nation, we continue to reimagine what a Pepsi Halftime Show looks like with some of the biggest musicians in the world. We expect The Weeknd will continue to raise the bar, setting a new precedent both musically and visually for the most-watched performance of the year.”

The Weeknd headlined the 2021 Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday, February 7, and he was phenomenal. That should come as a surprise to no one. I mean, it’s The Weeknd! 

It also shouldn’t surprise people that he incorporated some visuals from his After Hours album era, namely his dancers were all wearing bandages on their faces. 

No, no, they weren’t actually hurt; it’s all part of the story he’s telling with his recent music videos. The basic storyline is this: The Weeknd trips while partying in Vegas; then he gets even more hurt…and decapitated. In his music video for “Too Late,” his head is attached to another person’s body. We then saw him at several awards show appearances wearing facial bandages. And finally, in the “Save Your Tears” video, he takes the bandages off. Instead of The Weeknd wearing the bandages this time, he had his dancers do it. 

“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,” The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, told Variety.

The biggest hit from The Weeknd’s latest album is “Blinding Lights,” which he revealed the meaning behind in an interview. “[The song 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,” he told Esquire magazine. “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.”

Of course, The Weeknd incorporated other older hits into his halftime performance, too, including “Starboy,” “The Hills,” “I Can’t Feel My Face,” and “I Feel It Coming.” 

“We can’t wait to welcome multi-award-winning artist The Weeknd to the Pepsi Super Bowl LV halftime show stage,” Adam Harter, senior vice president of sports, media, and entertainment at PepsiCo., said in a statement when The Weeknd’s performance was announced. “In collaboration with the NFL and Roc Nation, we continue to reimagine what a Pepsi Halftime Show looks like with some of the biggest musicians in the world. We expect The Weeknd will continue to raise the bar, setting a new precedent both musically and visually for the most-watched performance of the year.”

The Weeknd’s face bandages have been puzzling people ever since he wore them at the 2020 American Music Awards. Before then, he attended the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards with bruises and blood on his face. Well, the “Blinding Lights” singer has finally revealed the reasoning behind his changing face: It was all for his art. 

The blood, bandages, and prosthetics were all part of a story within his songs “Heartless,” “In Your Eyes,” “Blinding Lights,” “Too Late,” and “Save Your Tears.” In a recent interview with Variety, days before his much-awaited Super Bowl performance,” he explained that his bandaged face was also a commentary on Hollywood as a whole.

“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,” The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, told Variety. He outlined how the bandaged face in his music video character’s storyline shows him inching toward “heightened levels of danger and absurdity as his tale goes on.”  

“Being attractive isn’t important to me but a compelling narrative is,” Tesfaye said. 

If you’re wondering if this new character is here to stay, that’s still unclear. The Weeknd said in the Variety interview he enjoys experimenting with new storylines. “Why not play with the character and the artist and let those lines blur and move around?” he added.

Tesfaye is set to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show on February 7. It’s possible we’ll see his bandaged face during the set, but it’s also possible it was just for his music videos. In his Super Bowl commercial, The Weeknd’s face is back to normal, so he may just perform as his usual self. When asked by Variety if his persona, The Weeknd, is still in character, he responded coyly, “I don’t know. I’d have to ask him.”

The Weeknd just dropped the music video for his song “Save Your Tears,” and in it he’s wearing face prosthetics. (Both the Daily Mail and The Independent report the transformation is the result of time in the makeup chair, not actual surgery. Entertainment Tonight writes the look is “obviously fake.”) The Weeknd’s “new face” immediately grabbed social media’s attention, but if you’ve been following his work during the After Hours era, this transformation actually makes so much sense. 

It follows the story he’s been telling since dropping the music video for “Heartless” in November 2019. Per Pitchfork, “Heartless” sees The Weeknd tripping while partying in Vegas. Then, in the “Blinding Lights” video, he gets even more hurt. The clip for “In Your Eyes” ends with the singer being decapitated, then in the “Too Late” video his head is attached to someone else’s body. This was followed by several awards show appearances where he was seen wearing facial bandages. Now, in the “Save Your Tears” video, the bandages have come off. 

Watch the clip for yourself, below: 

The Weeknd’s fans have several theories about what he’s trying to say. Some think the video contains a diss at the Grammys, which snubbed After Hours despite it being one of the most critically and commercially successful albums of 2020: At one point in the video, he’s holding a gold trophy and then throws it away. 

“I think [he] is showing us how constantly pressured he feels to be ‘perfect’ by the industry, Grammys, etc.,” one fan wrote on Twitter, according to ET. “Now he got that botched up face and I think at some point he will have an ‘alone again’ mv where he takes it off and learns to love himself for who he is.”

When After Hours didn’t receive any Grammy nominations, The Weeknd took to Twitter and wrote, “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans, and the industry transparency…”

It was rumored The Weeknd’s plans to perform at the 2021 Super Bowl might’ve impacted his Grammy noms, but Harvey Mason Jr., the Recording Academy’s chair and interim president/CEO, shot that down.