Halsey

Early life

Ashley Nicolette Frangipane was born on September 29, 1994, in Edison, New Jersey, the daughter of Nicole and Chris Frangipane. Her parents dropped out of college after her mother discovered that she was pregnant with her. Halsey's mother works as an emergency medical technician (EMT), while her father manages a car dealership. Her mother has Italian and Hungarian ancestry, while her father is African American with a small amount of Irish ancestry. She has two younger brothers named Sevian and Dante. She played the violin, viola, and cello, before taking up playing the guitar when she was 14 years old. She grew up listening to Alanis Morissette, Justin Bieber, and Brand New. Throughout her childhood, her family moved frequently, as her...

2012–2014: Career beginnings and Room 93

Frangipane started writing music when she was 17, and in 2012, she began posting videos to social media sites such as YouTube and Kik, and in particular Tumblr, under the username se7enteenblack. She became known for a parody of Taylor Swift's song "I Knew You Were Trouble", inspired by Swift's relationship with Harry Styles. She then wrote a follow-up song about their relationship, which was posted online in early 2013. In early 2014, Frangipane went to a party and met a "music guy" who asked her to collaborate on a song with him because he liked her voice. The result, a song about her ex-boyfriend, titled "Ghost", was posted by Frangipane on SoundCloud several weeks after it was recorded. Within hours, the song gained online popularity...

Influences

During Halsey's childhood, her mother listened to the Cure, Alanis Morissette, and Nirvana, while her father listened to the Notorious B.I.G., Slick Rick, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, and Tupac Shakur. She has said that their musical tastes have been a great influence on her. She was "really influenced" by Matty Healy's lyrical approach stating: "His lyrical content is a lot of dialogue, a lot of places. It's very descriptive and it creates this honest, authentic image." Halsey also called Panic! at the Disco the "band that changed [her] fucking life" and credited Lady Gaga for giving them the strength to be herself. Having begun her online presence as a One Direction fan, she "loved [them] with an all-consuming force when I was younger". She has...

Music style and themes

Halsey is noted for her distinctive "indie" style of singing, which has garnered controversial feedback. She sings with an accent different from her speaking voice. Halsey's music often encompasses pop, electronic, alternative, R&B, and rock genres, specifically falling under the styles of alternative pop, alternative R&B, alternative rock, arena pop, art pop, electropop, indie pop, and synth-pop.

Castle

"Castle" is a song by American singer and songwriter Halsey. Originally recorded for her debut studio album, Badlands (2015), it was re-recorded for the soundtrack to the 2016 film The Huntsman: Winter's War.

It was released on April 9, 2016, through Capitol Records as a single from the soundtrack as well as the fourth single from Badlands. "Castle" was co-written by Halsey and the track's producer, Lido.

Composition

Nathan Reese from Pitchfork said "Castle" is a meditation on Halsey's growing fame that features a trip hop instrumental.

Music video

A "Behind-the-Scenes" video was released for the song on Halsey's official Vevo channel on YouTube on April 8, 2016, one day prior to the single's digital download release. Five days later, on April 13, 2016, the official music video was released on Halsey's Vevo account.

Nightmare

"Nightmare" is a song by American singer Halsey. It was released as a single on May 17, 2019, and was sent to top 40 radio on May 21, 2019, through Capitol Records.

The song was written by Halsey along with its producers Benny Blanco, Cashmere Cat, and Happy Perez. The music video, directed by Hannah Lux Davis, accompanied its release the same day.

Composition

"Nightmare" is described by critics as a "biting" pop, alternative rock, nu metal, and industrial "anthem", with elements of grunge, electro-metal, emo, punk rock, and trap music. It is written in the key A minor with 146 beats per minute. The song contains an interpolation of "All the Things She Said" by Russian duo t.A.T.u. Elena Kiper, one of the songwriters of t.A.T.u's song, posted on her Instagram that an initial version of Halsey's track "contained an extensive interpolation of the original work" but later the sample was changed by G-Eazy, although the latter isn't credited on the work.

Music video

The music video for "Nightmare" premiered on YouTube on May 16, 2019. Directed by Hannah Lux Davis, the video features appearances by Cara Delevingne, Debbie Harry, Ryan Destiny, and Suki Waterhouse.

Critical reception

The song has received positive reviews. Billboard magazine said the song is musically "unorthodox" containing "stylistic curveballs" and "killer lines" that "exalt autonomy, sexual freedom and self-acceptance". The line "I've been polite, but I won't be caught dead/ Letting a man tell me what I should do in my bed" was noted as a "barbed assault on patriarchal expectation" by Billboard and "a necessary gesture of rage and empowerment" by Rolling Stone. Billboard named it the 17th best song of 2019.

Without Me

"Without Me" is a song by American singer Halsey, released on October 4, 2018. Halsey wrote the song with Brittany Amaradio, Amy Allen, and Louis Bell, while production was handled by Bell.

It interpolates Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River" and as such Timberlake, Timbaland and Scott Storch are credited as co-writers. It was released through Capitol Records as the lead single from Halsey's third studio album, Manic.

Background and composition

During a performance in London on September 23, 2018, Halsey teased visuals for "Without Me" before announcing it would be released on October 4. The song premiered on Zane Lowe's World Record radio show on Beats 1, and was followed by an interview about the song. It is her first solo song since her 2017 album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom.

Music videos

A vertical video for the song was released on Spotify on October 12, 2018, and posted on YouTube on January 9, 2019.

Colors

"Colors" is a song by American singer and songwriter Halsey from her debut studio album, Badlands (2015). It was released on February 9, 2016, through Astralwerks as the album's third single.

The song was made available as a 7-inch single and a five-track remix EP titled "Complementary Colors". As of September 2026, the song has reached over 534 million streams on Spotify.

Background

An electropop song, "Colors" was written by Halsey and producer Dylan Bauld (also known as Dylan William). She stated during a performance at the Grammy Museum that she wrote most of the song, as a poem, at age 17, and later adapted it into a song two years later. She also stated it was one of her favorite songs that she wrote. Halsey expressed to Complex magazine; "[Blue is] just my creative color. It's like so many things at once. It's electric, and it's bright, but it's also calm. It's also ethereal. Blue is just an otherworldly color to me. Blue is the sky. Blue is the sea. Blue for me represents the unexplored territory". In another interview, she stated: "My song 'Colors' is about being in a relationship with someone and kind of...

Critical reception

Contemporary professional commentary that assesses the studio recording of "Colors" directly is limited. In a USA Today review of Badlands, Avery Stone singled out the track's hook-driven appeal, writing that "the pulsing chorus of "Colors" could almost — almost — fit in on Taylor Swift's 1989," situating it among the album's more accessible pop moments.

Music video

A music video for the single was directed by Tim Mattia and released on February 25, 2016. Prior to its release, Halsey unveiled two teasers of the music video on her Twitter and Facebook account. She also announced that the video would premiere on February 25, 2016, and would co-star actor Tyler Posey.

Eyes Closed

"Eyes Closed" is a song by American singer Halsey. It was released on May 4, 2017, through Astralwerks as the first promotional single from her second studio album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (2017).

Background

Halsey announced on March 7, 2017, the release month and title of her second studio album Hopeless Fountain Kingdom, set for release in June. About the album's sound, she opted for a more mainstream-oriented sound, saying: "I am more than capable of writing radio music and hopefully I'll put my money where my mouth is on this album." The song was premiered on May 4, 2017, on Apple Music's Beats 1 along an interview with host Zane Lowe and director Baz Luhrmann, being later released on digital retailers and streaming platforms.

Composition

The track was written by Halsey and the Weeknd and the song's producers Benny Blanco, Cashmere Cat and Happy Perez. It has been described as dark and sinister-sounding synth-y electro. The song is written in C-sharp minor with a tempo of 65 beats per minute.

Critical reception

Da'Shan Smith of Billboard described the song as a "pop flavoring with an upbeat instrumental that falls in line with electro-soft rock" and "a more cinematic, ballad". PopCrush staff writers calls "Eyes Closed", "moody, chill-inducing".

Background and release

For her solo stage in the Blackpink Arena Tour 2018, Rosé performed a cover of "Eyes Closed" alongside a cover of Taeyang's "Eyes, Nose, Lips". On February 10, 2019, she released the studio version of the cover on YouTube and SoundCloud, as a surprise gift to her fans on her birthday. In an Instagram post, she stated, "Thank you for all the lovely birthday messages! I'm always so spoiled by all of you and I'm so grateful to every single one of you. So here's me giving a tiny little something back in return. This is the studio version of my cover for [Halsey]'s 'Eyes closed'. I sang this at our Japan concert last year but this song has been one of my favourites for a very long time. So I'm super excited that I am able to give this to you on...

Gasoline

"Gasoline" is a song by American singer and songwriter Halsey. The track is included on the deluxe edition of her debut studio album Badlands (2015).

It was written by Halsey and Lido; the latter also producing the song. Despite only being included on the deluxe edition of Badlands and not being released as a single, it is the album's most streamed track on Spotify with more than 410 million plays and is the album's second most viewed video on YouTube with over 140 million views.

Background

In an interview with Popjustice, Halsey confirmed that she submitted Badlands twelve days after expected, being the song written and produced the day the album was initially planned to be out. She described the track as self-aware, considering it a synopsis for the album and as she said, "what I thought the record was missing". She also expressed her interest in people buying the deluxe version of the record on purpose for them to get the track.

Composition

The song is described as a "brooding electropop track." The track is written about Halsey's experience with mental health, her bipolar disorder and her feeling out of step with the rest of society.

Critical reception

Kitty Empire from The Guardian described the track, "one of the harder-hitting songs on [...]Badlands". Tina Roumeliotis from Buzznet called the song "a crowd-pleaser" while Billboard's Chris Payne considers it "a fan favourite". It has more than 300 million plays on streaming platform Spotify.

Bad At Love

"Bad at Love" is a song by American singer Halsey from her second studio album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (2017). It was released on August 22, 2017, through Astralwerks as the second single from the album.

Halsey co-wrote the song with Justin Tranter, Ricky Reed, and Rogét Chahayed, with the song being produced by the latter two. Lyrically, the song encompasses the protagonist's past relationships and the reasons they were unsuccessful.

Background and composition

Halsey told Billboard that the tune should "sound like Leonardo DiCaprio in a Hawaiian T-shirt in a droptop yellow convertible car – driving down the highway like in Miami Vice with all his friends."

Music video

The music video was directed by Halsey with Sing J Lee. It begins on a desert road, with the singer having a short hairstyle and taking off on a motorcycle. She stops at a gas station, where she picks up a newspaper with her face and "Wanted" written on the first page. With the help of three friends, she avoids capture by two futuristic cops. Afterward, they ride into the sunset as the video ends. The video was uploaded on August 30, 2017, on her Vevo channel.

Graveyard

"Graveyard" is a song by American singer Halsey. It was released on September 13, 2019, through Capitol Records as the second single from her third studio album, Manic (2020).

It reached the Top 40 in fifteen countries worldwide and is certified double platinum in the United States, Brazil, Canada, and Australia.

Background and promotion

In March 2019, Halsey announced that her upcoming third studio album would be released in 2019 and that she wants it to be "perfect". On September 3, 2019, Halsey revealed the cover art and release date of "Graveyard" on her social media. The announcement was made a day after fans questioned the singer about upcoming news. The song was made available for pre-save upon announcement. Halsey performed the song for the first time on September 11, 2019, as one of the musical guests on Rihanna's "Savage X Fenty" show. She posted a teaser containing a still from the music video as well as a line from the song on her social media that same day.

Composition

"Graveyard" is a pop and electropop song written by Halsey with Amy Allen, Jon Bellion, Jordan K. Johnson, Louis Bell, Mark Williams and Stefan Johnson. Its production was done by Bellion, Bell, Ojivolta and The Monsters and the Strangerz. According to Halsey, the song "is about being in love with someone who is in a bad place and loving them so much that you don't realize that you're going to that bad place with them". It also deals with the topic of caring for yourself instead of following others.

Critical reception

Althea Legaspi and Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone wrote that the song's lyrical content "addresses following a relationship down a dark road despite warning signs" and noted the "contemplative guitar melody". Rania Aniftos at Billboard referred to the song as an "emotional tune". Writing for Idolator, Mike Nied complimented the song for being "self-aware, vulnerable and very relatable" and pointed out Jon Bellion's obvious presence on its production, calling it a "a lush pop production".

Music video

The song release was supported by a time-lapse visualizer of Halsey painting a self-portrait which also serves as the album cover for Manic. The official music video was released on October 8, 2019, and was directed by Anton Tammi. It features Halsey and a mysterious girl (Sydney Sweeney) magically from her notebook dancing alone in an amusement park. When the bridge starts, the mysterious girl disappears while Halsey enters an aquarium, which looks similar to the video for her song, "Clementine". Immediately, she wakes up into a white abandoned version of the park, later teleporting to her bedroom of the same color.

Finally // beautiful stranger

"Finally // Beautiful Stranger" is a song by American singer Halsey. It was released through Capitol Records on December 6, 2019, alongside "Suga's Interlude" as promotional singles from Halsey's third studio album, Manic (2020).

On January 25, 2020, Halsey performed "Finally // Beautiful Stranger" on Saturday Night Live.

Background

The song was announced on December 3, 2019 through social media. In an Instagram livestream on December 3, 2019 Halsey announced that she was releasing two new songs and a music video on Friday December 6, 2019. On December 5, 2019 she revealed that those two songs are "Finally // Beautiful Stranger" and "Suga's Interlude". Halsey described both songs as "very different [...] very dreamy stories." She revealed in an interview with Zane Lowe for Beats 1 that she wrote it at home in her living room at "two in the morning when I was dating Dom," thinking about the night that they met, written with just her voice and a guitar at first. She said that, after listening, her friends described it as "the best song I'd ever written".

Critical reception

Koltan Greenwood from Alternative Press described the song as a "moving, emotional song that explores first love and the emotions it causes". Nina Corcoran of Consequence of Sound labeled the chorus the "real highlight", as Halsey "belts the title with some heartbreaking voice cracks". Madeline Roth, writing for MTV News, described the track as a whole as a "country-tinged, guitar-led love song", noting that it sounded "a bit like Lady Gaga's 'You and I'". In an article for E! News, Billy Nilles noted the track as a "true standout" and described the production as "stripped-back" with "gentle guitar" and as a "country-kissed little number that lets her vulnerabilities take center stage as she sings about first love". Lexi Lane from Atwood...

Music video

A music video for the song was released on December 6, 2019. The video was directed by Patrick Tracy and showcases Halsey performing the song on a guitar in two different bar settings. As of June 2021, it has over 22 million views on YouTube.

Ghost

"Ghost" is the debut single by American singer and songwriter Halsey from her debut studio album, Badlands (2015). The lyrics and musical composition are attributed to Halsey and Young Rising Sons' past member Dylan Scott.

It was first released on February 3, 2014, on SoundCloud. On July 28, 2014, it was officially released by her record label and later included on her debut extended play, Room 93 (2014).

Background

"Ghost" was posted on Halsey's SoundCloud page for streaming on February 3, 2014. The song garnered online buzz which was an opening opportunity for Halsey to sign a record deal with Astralwerks, leading to the eventual publication of the Room 93 EP and additional videos for "Hurricane" and "Ghost". Halsey expressed about the song, "The concept of the song itself is about being in a relationship with someone who isn't emotionally available: you feel their physical presence but the emotional one isn't there."

Music videos

The first music video for "Ghost", was directed by Alex de Bonrepos and premiered on October 27, 2014. It was filmed at the Pink Motel in Los Angeles, which was also the location of her music video for her song "Hurricane". The video begins with her kissing her boyfriend (played by model AJ English) in the motel room, but soon takes a dangerous turn as the two begin to fight.

Hold Me Down

"Hold Me Down" is a song by American singer Halsey, which samples Son Lux's "Easy". It was released on June 1, 2015, through Astralwerks as a promotional single from her debut studio album, Badlands (2015).

It was released alongside the album pre-order. It has since accumulated over 100 million streams on Spotify and has been certified Gold in Australia and the US.

You should be sad

"You Should Be Sad" is a song recorded by American singer Halsey. It was released on January 10, 2020, through Capitol Records as the third single from their third studio album, Manic (2020).

Halsey wrote the song with their producer Greg Kurstin. "You Should Be Sad" is a country pop ballad that features lyrics about a breakup and an unfaithful ex-lover.

Background

Halsey revealed that they wrote the song in their living room floor, as well in Nashville, and stated that "the most petty and heartbreaking songs all come from country". When talking about the inspiration for the outfits, Halsey confirmed a number of artists, writing, "Xtina, Gaga, Carrie, and of course Shania, this was one loaded with nods to badass idols of mine. Had the vision to do a 'Before He Cheats' but instead about after he does haha".

Composition

Musically, "You Should Be Sad" is a three minutes and twenty-five seconds acoustic-driven country pop ballad. In terms of music notation, "You Should Be Sad" was composed using 44 common time in the key of B minor, with a tempo of 120 beats per minute. The song follows the chord progression of Bm-G-D-F♯m/D-G-D-A. Halsey's vocal range spans from the low note A3 to the high note of E5, giving the song two octaves and four notes of range.

Critical reception

Tom Breihan from Stereogum described the song as a "big, pissed-off ballad directed at an ex", while speculating G-Eazy as the subject of the track. Writing for Vulture, Bethy Squires called the song a "devastating song to do for karaoke in front of an ex". Kaitlin Reilly of Refinery29 wrote that the track was a "country breakup song" that lyrically "holds nothing back, guaranteeing the song a place on every post-breakup playlist". Micheal Love Michael from Paper Magazine praised Halsey for being "brave enough to write about it in public", and felt that the lyrics were about "a toxic lover that [Halsey] escaped from". Aidan Cullen from Billboard wrote about how the song plays on "country-western motifs to bring rootsy weight to Halsey's...

Music video

A music video for the song was released alongside the track on January 10, 2020. The video was directed by Colin Tilley. The video depicts Halsey going to "an underground country western nightclub, where a lot of beautiful people are line-dancin". The video makes references to several artists such as Lady Gaga, Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood and Christina Aguilera (notably, her "Dirrty" video).