The Weeknd Looks Almost Unrecognizable In First Appearance Since Bella Hadid Split, Social Media Reacts
It’s been a while since Abel Tesfaye, also known as The Weeknd, has been seen in public. Yet, he was spotted making an appearance at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival, per E! Online. Since becoming single, he has kept a low profile.
The “Can’t Feel My Face” hitmaker posed on the red carpet looking almost unrecognizable and sporting a new look. He appeared to have lost his full beard, keeping just his mustache. His hair had been cut a little shorter and shaped a little neater. He wore a navy blue suit with a black shirt underneath and smart black shoes.
According to E! News, this appearance comes just over a month after his split from model Bella Hadid, who reportedly called it quits more than once. Hadid has since been posting saucy photos to her Instagram account which rack up millions of likes, which The Inquisitr noted.
Since debuting his fresh new look, people on social media have reacted passionately with thoughts on whom the new image reminds them of.
“The Weeknd is now El Wikén and he does Salsa music,” one user tweeted.
“The Weeknd just turned into Nacho Libre,” another joked on Twitter, comparing their two looks.
“When you see Lionel Richie trending but realize it’s just because The Weeknd debuted a new look on the red carpet,” a third tweeted.
“Lionel Richie, Bruno Mars, and Lenny Kravitz are reportedly in a heated custody battle over this photograph,” a fourth fan wrote on Twitter.
The Weeknd kick started his music career by releasing mix tapes. In 2011, he dropped three projects — House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence — which helped him gain the fan base he has today.
In 2013, he released his debut album, Kiss Land, which peaked at No. 2 in the U.S. and Canada.
His second studio album, Beauty Behind The Madness, contained the No. 1 singles “Can’t Feel My Face” and “The Hills” and won him a Grammy Award for Best Urban Contemporary Album in 2016. The album was a worldwide success, reaching No. 1 in multiple countries.
In total, he has been nominated for 10 Grammy Awards and taken home three trophies.
His last studio album, Starboy, won him his second Best Urban Contemporary Album award in 2017.
The following year, he released his debut EP, My Dear Melancholy, and has kept fans waiting for a new album since.
On Spotify, The Weeknd currently has over 25.1 million monthly listeners, proving that his following is stronger than ever. His most played track at the moment is “Starboy,” his single with Daft Punk.
