The Weeknd performed one of the most memorable sets at the Super Bowl LV halftime show and celebrities including Drake, Sophie Turner and Timothée Chalamet have all expressed their appreciation.
The Canadian singer took to the stage at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida during the match between the Chiefs and Buccaneers on Sunday evening to deliver fans an electric setlist of songs including ‘Starboy’, ‘The Hills’ and ‘Can’t Feel My Face’.
During the performance, the crooner sang in front of a backdrop of a city landscape with gospel singers before joining an army of backing dancers in matching red jackets and bandages covering their faces in honour of his appearance for his After Hours album last year. Fireworks and a full moon also decorated the night’s sky.
Despite facing some backlash online for sound issues during his performance, countless celebrities came out in force to praise the singer for his performance on Twitter.
Here are the best celebrity reactions from The Weeknd’s Super Bowl 2021 Halftime performance:
Drake
Sophie Turner
Timothée Chalamet
Seth Green
Keith Urban
Maluma
Dionna Warwick
Martha Hunt
Olivia Munn
Vanessa Carlton
Following his performance, The Weeknd shared a video on his Instagram Stories of him and a friend holding cigars in their mouths while riding in a golf cart, presumably back stage at the stadium.
After his show, The Weeknd's fans took to Twitter to call out the Grammys for tweeting a now-viral message about the singer's previous wins at the ceremony despite failing to nominate him for a a 2021 Grammy Award for his hit 2020 album After Hours.
'Three-time GRAMMY winner [The Weeknd] takes the stage during [the Pepsi Halftime Show],' the Grammys' account tweeted.
After the Grammy nominations were announced in November, The Weeknd commented on the apparent snub on Twitter, writing: 'The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans, and the industry transparency.' The singer's ex girlfriend Bella Hadid was among several celebrities who showed their support following the news.
Harvey Mason Jr., the interim Recording Academy President/CEO, responded to the singer's comment, noting to Billboard, in part: 'We understand that The Weeknd is disappointed at not being nominated. I was surprised and can empathise with what he’s feeling. His music this year was excellent…
'We were thrilled when we found out he would be performing at the upcoming Super Bowl and we would have loved to have him also perform on the Grammy stage the weekend before …To be clear, voting in all categories ended well before The Weeknd’s performance at the Super Bowl was announced, so in no way could it have affected the nomination process.'
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Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
