The Weeknd's "Starboy" Video Is Really Intense

The Weeknd is back, and he's getting into plenty of trouble — er, on-screen, anyway. Though we'll still have to wait for The Weeknd to release his third studio album Starboy, the singer has appeased fans by giving them another one of his signature music videos. The Weeknd's "Starboy" music video has hit the internet, and, unsurprisingly, the video is filled with gritty sequences, haunting images of Los Angeles, and gorgeous cars. This is, after all, a man who climbed out of a flipped-over luxury car, bruised and bloodied, before the vehicle exploded on the street behind him in his music video for "The Hills." We have to expect "Starboy" to live up to the same standard. Fortunately, it does; it's basically a mini-movie starring The Weeknd, a red neon cross, and a panther. Though it's hard to tell exactly what the "Starboy" music video means, it's well worth watching.

It starts off like the beginning of a typical Hollywood thriller. We open on a gorgeous home in what appears to be the hills of Los Angeles (perhaps a reference to The Weeknd's hit track?) only to find that the person sitting across from the singer at a dinner table is definitely not there for a dinner party. He is quickly suffocated by this masked man, who is then revealed as — surprise! — The Weeknd himself. Did the singer just put a plastic bag over his doppelgänger's head?

Yep, that's exactly what happened. But why? Is it a metaphor, or are we living in a world where there are two Weeknds? And if there are two Weeknds, can they collaborate so we get new Weeknd music twice as fast? Sorry, but presenting this scenario just creates so many questions.

The video then goes into the second Weeknd — killer Weeknd, if you will — destroying the house with the owner's neon cross. As he sings "Starboy," killer Weeknd moves through the house, smashing promotional photos of a person identical to himself, caving in shelves that hold awards, and, eventually, burning the whole place down with a flick of a lighter. It's dark stuff — and super ambiguous.

So what could it mean? Rolling Stone has an idea. While I interpreted the Grant Singer-directed video (Singer also directed the videos for "I Can't Feel My Face" and "The Hills) as a sort-of "good twin v. evil twin" scenario, the magazine's Brittany Spanos proposed that the video represents The Weeknd destroying his past — getting rid of everything from his Beauty Behind The Madness days, and ushering a new era as the Starboy version. That theory actually makes a ton of sense. What artist hasn't wanted to reinvent themselves when they drop a new album?

Whatever The Weeknd's new music video means, I'm just happy he dropped a new one.

Images: TheWeekndVEVO/YouTube (3)