The Weeknd is scheduled to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday, but he’s going to be toning himself down somewhat for the experience.
The “Blinding Lights” singer adopted a bloodied and deranged character for his After Hours album, and with it came videos featuring a lot of violence and absurdity. Fans expecting more of that (or his classic, more risque drugs-and-debauchery content, perhaps) might be surprised by his halftime show, as he’ll keep it PG-rated for all the families watching.
“I definitely want to be respectful to the viewers at home,” he told Variety. “I will still incorporate some of the storyline [from the videos]—it’s a very cohesive story I’m telling throughout this year, so the story will continue, but we definitely will keep it PG for the families. I’ll do my best.”
Upon offering a preview of what to expect from the show, he teased just how much he has in store. “I’m not gonna tell you anything else because you’ll have to watch on Sunday,” he said, before answering whether his performance will address “the recent uprisings in Black communities.” He replied, “I don’t like to spoon-feed the audience, hopefully they can come up with some of their own theories and conclusions for what the show is saying and the story I’m telling with the performance.”
Watch him answer questions from journalists at the halftime show press event above.
