For months, on several occasions, Wicken's face was bandaged. It was later discovered that his face was fine, and in his own words, he hoped to symbolize through bandages, scars and masquerades "the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrities, people abusing themselves to please others or prove themselves."
Wickken's bandages began with his March 2020 album After Hours. Planning for the album began with the release of MV "Heartless" in December 2019. In this MV, Wicken wears a red jacket and wanders the streets and casinos of Las Vegas. The character played by Wicken indulged in gambling and fun at night, and eventually became psychedelic. After the song, he released mv "blinding lights" in January 2020. "Glare" can be said to be the sequel to "Ruthless", and Willkan is still wearing a red jacket.
Blood sprayed onto his face at first, and the camera switched to the night in Las Vegas. The camera constantly shifts across his face and the street he drives. "Glare" is about who you want to see at night, you're extremely excited, you're driving to find that person, and the streetlights blur your eyes. But nothing can stop you from going to this person, because loneliness is worse than anything else.
In March 2020, Wicken performed two songs on Saturday Night Live. Once again he was wearing a red jacket with blood and bandages on his face. Viewers who did not understand the storyline of "Heartless" and "Blind" were very worried, thinking that the singer had been seriously injured. Also in March, he wrapped his bandages again in "In Your Eyes." His role remains frightening, still facing the devil and other problems.
At the August 2020 Video Music Awards, Wicken's bandages were missing, but his face still looked scarred. At the American Music Awards in November, he looked more badly injured, this time with his entire face bandaged, as if he had just completed a major surgical procedure.
In January 2021, Wicken released his mv "Save Your Tears," which was removed this time, but he had a fake face on his face, still making people suspect that he had recently performed surgery. His face was covered with knife scars, his cheeks were sunken, and his lips were swollen. While it's a serial story, some fans believe he's poking fun at his ex-girlfriend, Bella Hadid, who dated in 2015/2016, then broke up, got back together in 2018/2019, and then broke up again. It is rumored that Bella had plastic surgery, so fans think that "Don't Cry" is a satire on Bella.
Before the 2021 Super Show, Wicken was interviewed by a media outlet. He said the entire headband was meant to reflect the absurd culture of Hollywood celebrities, who abused themselves to please others or prove themselves. It's a series of stories, and as the story progresses, the danger and absurdity continue to rise.
For Wicken, he wanted to tell people through this terrible image that appearance was not the main thing. He may want to market his own most successful album, but he mainly wants to tell people that attractive appearance is not important, what is important is the engaging storyline.
Shortly after the launch of Don't Cry, Wicken appeared at a Super Bowl promotion conference, and his face was completely normal, which also proved that the wounds on his face were all makeup effects. But so far, it's uncertain what kind of image Wicken will appear in the Super Bowl halftime show. Fans are eager to know what he will look like on the biggest stage on February 7. This time he will be performing works from his entire career, not just After Work, will he continue his themes over the past few months?
When it comes to this issue, Wicken is a bit secretive. He said why not make the character a little more ambiguous? He said he didn't know either, and he was going to ask about the character as well.
The Super Bowl halftime show is about to start soon, and Wicken's off will not sell for long, hahaha.