Take a seat, grab a snack and try to focus, because we're about to unveil a fan theory based on The Weeknd's videos that will absolutely blow your damn mind.
Fans of the R&B singer are probably well aware that the XO artist released the second music video off of his new project Starboy today, and it didn't take long before it generated some buzz.
The video for "False Alarm" opened with a very necessary disclaimer about the graphic content and violence featured in the clip, which probably made some viewers question why he had to get so gruesome with the Ilya Naishuller-helmed video.
However, fans of The Weekend will know that violence in his videos is nothing new. And true supporters will know that this video is actually feeding into an epic fan theory that's been swirling around for a while now—what if all of his videos are telling one continuous story about The Weeknd selling his soul to the devil?
Well, you know we had to get deep up in this, so let's investigate:
"The Hills": We're going to start with the video for this chart-topping hit (although a Reddit user has already highlighted that this theory may have started from the very beginning of the singer's career). The video opens with a car crash involving The Weeknd and two women, all of whom survive, in what looks like the Hollywood Hills. The Weeknd steps out and begins limping towards a destination that is unknown at the time, completely unfazed by the women who are shoving and pushing him, suggesting that the crash was his fault.
He enters a lavish home and slowly walks up the staircase and into a bright red room where he's met with a creepy AF character holding an apple, which the fan theories conclude is the devil in the story. As this write-up explains, "This most likely refers to the proverbial snake in the Book of Genesis who pushes Adam and Eve to bite the forbidden apple. While the snake is usually associated with the devil who convinced humans to disobey God, the occult elite considers the snake to be Lucifer, the light-bearer, who gave humans the gift of knowledge."
In other words, this is The Weeknd meeting his maker.
Also worth noting—the two young women sitting with the devil are the same two women who were in the accident with him. How the hell did they get there before him and change so fast? BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT HUMAN, YOU GUYS.
"Can't Feel My Face": In the next video, we see The Weeknd singing to a crowd at a lounge. Now, pay attention to their faces. You'll notice that some people in the audience are totally rocking with his upbeat track, while others are almost disgusted with it. It's speculated that this is to illustrate the difference between the fans who have been there since House of Balloons, and are now bothered with his mainstream, pop music, and those who only came to admire The Weeknd after his radio boom.
Oh, and whaddya know? Creepy devil man is back. He takes a seat right in the front row with his cocktail. After a person in the audience throws a drink on The Weeknd, the devil character lights up a cigarette and throws the lighter at the singer, making him catch on fire.
Now, the obvious symbolism here would be that he sold his soul to the devil, which is probably partly true. But he continues to sing and dance while ablaze, which also suggests that he's so deep into it now, he's become a servant to the devil AKA fame. This is also highlighted by the fact that everyone got to their feet and started dancing to music after he caught on fire, because artists don't usually get the recognition they deserve until they sell their soul to mainstream.
"Tell Your Friends": The video opens with a burning bush, another Biblical reference from the Old Testament ("God reveals himself to Moses through the sign of a burning bush"), and we see lanky legs walking towards a burial. Initially, you assume it's creepy devil man again, walking to bury a still-singing Weeknd who is in the dirt with a bag over his head. However, after shoveling dirt on his face, we see the person doing the burying, and it's The Weeknd!
As he sings about getting back to the vision, we see devil man approaching him yet again, but this time, The Weeknd is done. He pulls out a gun and shoots the devil! So he's free, right? Maybe not.
At the end, we see him become intrigued by a brand new Bentley. He gets in and drives off. Perhaps instead of breaking free, he has now become the devil himself?
"In the Night": We begin to see how deadly fame can be with his video starring Bella Hadid. Overcome with paparazzi, money, girls and the spotlight, The Weeknd finds himself hostage to celebrity. It's also interesting to see that the girls who were with the devil in previous videos, seem to be in this one, too, but instead of being minions to creepy guy, they're serving The Weekend by killing the men who were trying to get him, which further suggests that maybe he took the devil's place.
While Bella's significant role has yet to be determined, we see her save The Weeknd from almost getting shot by the man who was causing the chaos. She then rides off with him on the back of his motorcycle, but ends up on fire in the water. WTF happened? And why are we seeing fire again?!
"Starboy": The first video from his new project gave quite the impression. We see The Weeknd tied up and suffocating to his death. His killer? Himself. Well, his new self. The new-haired Weeknd, wearing all black with a blingtastic cross on his chest, kills his former self and while walking through the lavish home, picks up a neon cross and uses it as a weapon to destroy all of the accolades won during his career.
This is a clear image of a new Weeknd coming into our midst. Is the cross symbolizing his desire to break free and start again with a clean slate? It might, however, the singer continues to get drawn to the luxury side of things, jumping into a sports car and taking a ride down what looks to be Mulholland Drive.
"False Alarm": And so, we get here. His latest video in what looks to be a sequence of events spanned over years. The graphic video feels like you jumped into a video game to help execute an elaborate bank robbery. With a first-person view, you don't know who you are, but you know you're part of the robbery, because you're shooting up the place. A young girl is taken hostage as you try to escape the police, and you try to keep her safe, while also killing whatever cops come your way.
At one point, the getaway car catches up and the robbers are transporting the money, the hostage and themselves into the moving van as they try to escape. One robber is pissed that some of the money didn't make it across and threatens to shoot whoever this view of the video is coming from. Luckily, the hostage manages to grab a gun and shoot the robber to save "you." But the driver ended up getting shot, too, so the van crashes.
The video picks back up with the first-person view waking up to a shard of glass in their stomach. The hostage is fine, so "you" throw her the key to her handcuffs, so that she can help. She uncuffs herself and approaches "you," but false alarm—she takes the money and jets. The robber had the perfect opportunity to shoot her, but didn't. Instead, this mystery person grabs at the cross around his neck, and looks to the mirror next to him. We see the Weeknd's face in the reflection, wearing the same cross he was wearing in "Starboy."
He puts the gun up to his throat and we hear a bang, but we don't see him die. Is this another false alarm? Will we see that girl again? Did we just experience a man's descent into darkness over the past year?
More importantly, is your brain fried yet?! Yes, this fan theory, so far, seems pretty legit, which makes us appreciate The Weeknd's videos even more.
But, hold up. Plot twist! Or should we say, sub-plot twist. As one conspiracy theorist on this matter noted when talking about "The Hills," "Can't Feel My Face," and "Tell Your Friends," what if these videos aren't in order?
"The story begins with a struggling The Weeknd trying to get people to notice him at gigs. The devil then lights him on fire and kick-starts his career. The Weeknd then realizes that the deal is awful so he buries this new singing creation and shoots the devil. However, the devil is not human and therefore cannot be killed," the article states, adding that The Weeknd's entrance into the red room in "The Hills" is a reminder that the deal cannot be broken, and the car accident was a warning. Should he attempt to break free again, he may not make it out alive.
We literally can't even begin to try and get down to the nitty-gritty of that, but one thing's for sure—The Weeknd is trying to paint us a picture in an effort to deliver an important message. Let's make sure we're paying attention.