Yep, There's a Reason Why The Weeknd Had a Bloody Face at the VMAs

cosmopolitan.com:

After Hours' lead single, "Blinding Lights," Abel is seen getting violently beat up by bouncers and driving while drunk, leading to his terrible face injuries.

In promotion for the single, —back in March, Abel caused his fans to panic because he wore the bloody face makeup during his SNL performance.

So yeah, the bloody face isn't anything new. "'Blinding Lights' [is about] how you want to see someone at night, and you’re intoxicated, and you’re driving to this person and you’re just blinded by streetlights," Abel said in his September cover story. "But nothing could stop you from trying to go see that person, because you’re so lonely.