The Weeknd Gives A Shoutout To NewJeans — But Korean Netizens Have Mixed Reviews Because Of His Role In HBO’s “The Idol”
The Weeknd recently gave a shoutout to NewJeans and their new release, but netizens had mixed reviews about it.
On July 17, the Weeknd (also known as Abel Tesfaye) posted a story on his Instagram, showing a screenshot of NewJeans’ song “Super Shy.” He tagged the girl group’s official Instagram and added a fire emoji, showing his support for the new song released on July 7.
With over 61.8 million Instagram followers (as of this article), the Weeknd is a Canadian superstar who is loved by fans worldwide for his hits such as “Can’t Feel My Face,” “Blinding Lights,” and “Save Your Tears.” He has won four Grammy Awards, 20 Billboard Music Awards, 2 MTV Video Music Awards, and countless other awards recognizing him for his musical talents.
He has many fans in Korea as well. In 2018, the Weeknd had a concert at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Korea and met with 27,000 audience members. After the show, the Weeknd posted photos and videos from his Korea concert and shared that he was impressed by the “beautiful sea” of Korean fans turning on their cellphone flashlights and singing along to his song.
Recently, the Weeknd diverged from his usual music route and co-created an American television show called The Idol for HBO. He also acted alongside actors Lily-Rose Depp, BLACKPINK‘s Jennie, and Troye Sivan, in the role of Tedros, a self-help guru and the head of a contemporary cult.
Upon its initial release, The Idol received a lot of criticism for its graphic and overtly sexual scenes, and many criticized his acting skills. People who watched the show also criticized the scriptwriting and described the show as “men writing a Wattpad horny fanfiction and bringing it to life.”
The Idol is basically just men writing a wattpad horny fanfiction and bringing it to life. https://t.co/KLW7xsOgcK
— rawr (@markiepoof) June 12, 2023
- “Oof, after ‘The Idol,’ I find it disgusting if anyone likes him”
- “Oh, the dude who has the actor disease?”
- “After the weird American show, he seems disgusting to me ㅠ…”
- “Gross… because I’m reminded of ‘The Idol’…”
- “Please back away from the girls”
- “Get lost”
- “I feel slightly annoyed; The Weeknd to me is now f*cked up lol”
- “When anyone says The Weeknd now, I’m reminded of the show… what a shame. Super Shy blew up on Spotify too; now they’ll do even better”
- “Mind your own business; go and film your show”
- “The Weeknd’s acting is super shy~”
- “Please just stick to music”
- “Now The Weeknd’s gaze doesn’t seem pure anymore”
- “Ah… I wish The Weeknd would mind his own business…”
- “The song is good indeed but don’t listen to it, The Weeknd… You’re annoying”
- “Yeah, keep listening to music and never act again”
Other netizens were not so focused on the Weeknd and his disappointing performance in The Idol. Instead, they were happy for NewJeans and their new song being shouted out on a global star’s Instagram. Many praised NewJeans and complimented “Super Shy,” and others didn’t understand the hate comments towards the Weeknd when all he did was post a screenshot of NewJeans’ song.
- “Wow, I guess it’s true when people said NewJeans is popular…”
- “Wow, that’s crazy LOL”
- “Super Shy is good”
- “He has a good ear”
- “Super Shy is a good song though lol”
- “A Weeknd shoutout hahaha”
- “Wow, that’s crazy LOL He’s a superstar, that’s so cool”
- “Huh? I’m a NewJeans fan and I’m happy he uploaded their song… He’s not a criminal and is an amazing musician, so what’s the problem?”
- “NewJeans really is popular, huh?”
- “Wow, it’s fascinating knowing he listens to NewJeans lol BestJeans💙”
- “Just think of it as him simply promoting the song… why jump on the guy when he’s just saying he likes the song? lol”
- “NewJeans is on fire”
- “f*ck, the people leaving weird comments here are weirder”
- “I hope more American people see this and listen to the song!!! Hope it becomes a hit!”
- “Separate the production from the person… so low-level”
- “He’s just listening to the song; stop overreacting”
- “Wow, he’s listening to NewJeans? That’s fascinating LOL”
Either way, NewJeans’ new song “Super Shy” is indeed a bop so it’s no surprise that the Weeknd gave the fun and addictive song a shoutout!
