We’re all about the Weeknd’s explosive “Saturday Night Live” performance

We’re all about the Weeknd’s recent music and image change — his famous jagged-silhouette hair has been shorn for a simpler look, and his music has undergone a huge change as well.

To ring in this new Weeknd year, Abel Tesfaye took to Saturday Night Live to perform his two latest singles, “Starboy” and “False Alarm.”

The first single, which is also the name of his fourth album Starboy, is a smooth, evocative autumn jam (yes, that’s a thing now). Featuring Daft Punk’s signature digital touches, “Starboy” feels as light and glittering as a sheet of sequins — except of course, for the fact that its lyrics are about hazy party life exploits.

For its SNL debut, the Weeknd opted for clean white light, which appropriately goes along with the song’s lyrics:

For his latest single, the frenetic and ominous “False Alarm,” the Weeknd opted for flashing neon lights in different concentrated hues. The effect is startling beautiful on screen; the different points of light flare and overpower each other, leaving the singer bathed in gorgeous sheets of light. What we mean to say is, the mood is sweet while the song, about a woman who’s nothing but trouble, is anything but:

The Weeknd’s crystal clear vocals are done justice on the sometimes difficult SNL stage, and he really maximized his time on the show. With Margot Robbie taking on hosting duties, he was free to dip in and out of the various skits — including, of course, the Weeknd update:

While Starboy the album won’t be out until the end of November, we can’t wait to hear more of what pop’s most brooding figure has cooking for his fans. He’s clearly confident enough about what he’s got to serve up two very different, but very finessed songs that both expand his storytelling mythology and also are really, really fun to dance to. And of course, if he wants to keep giving us “Weeknd updates,” we are so here for them.

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