MUMBAI: The Weeknd's New Year is starting on a high note.
The 30-year-old star made fans go wild on Tuesday, Jan. 5 when he released a new music video for his hit tune "Save Your Tears."
Not only did people comment on his major transformation, in which he wore dramatic facial prosthetics that made him look completely unrecognizable, but fans were buzzing over the female model featured in the project. Many compared her to The Weeknd's ex-girlfriend, Selena Gomez, who he dated for nearly 10 months in 2017.
"How is no one talking about how the girl looks so much like Selena G," one YouTube follower commented, "Like this song is about her if you actually listen and the video confirms it."
"She looks like Selena Gomez," someone else put it simply.
A few commenters noticed the beauty and fashion similarities between the model and former Disney channel star, with one person saying, "The girl has a similar hair style and earrings as Selena in her music video 'Dance Again.'"
Another person added, "The girl looks like Selena in 'Dance Again' music video. This song is for Selena."
Others pointed out The Weeknd's lyrics and how they could be a reference to another track from Selena's Rare album.
"Selena in 'Crowded Room,'" one follower shared, adding the lyrics to her song, "'Baby, it's just me and you / Just us two / Even in a crowded room.'" Then, they noted The Weekend's lyric, in which he croons, " I saw you dancing' in a crowded room.'"
Most of these fan theories aren't completely out of left field, as last year, both The Weeknd and Selena had many guessing that their music was a cheeky tribute to their past romance.
In July 2020, the "Blinding Lights" singer released a music video for "Snowchild," in which he paid tribute to his many personas throughout the years. Interestingly, he released the music video on the same day as Selena's 28th birthday. Raising more eyebrows? The first 20 seconds featured balloons, plus, there were houses and staircases that looked similar to some estates the Rare Beauty founder had previous photoshoots.
As if that weren't enough, some fans noticed "Snowchild" was originally listed on Selena's "Cooking Together" Spotify playlist in April. That same month, the beauty mogul released "Souvenir" on the deluxe version of her Rare album. Fans speculated that most of the lyrics were a nod to her 2017 relationship with The Weekend.
Despite how the dots appear to connect, both The Weeknd and Selena have kept their lips sealed on whether or not they've been referencing their past romance.
As fans will recall, the two called it quits in October 2017, with a source telling E! News at the time, "It was more of a mutual break up. They were distant because of work. It didn't end in a bad way."
A separate source echoed the same sentiments, sharing, "They are still talking and will remain friends. They have been very grown-up about it."
"It's been hard for them to come to the realization that this is the direction things were heading, but it's been hard for months," the insider added. "They have been open and honest about it and where they were going. Distance definitely played a factor."