Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, globally recognized as Halsey, has carved out a unique and influential space in the music industry since her emergence in the early 2010s. Known for her distinctive singing voice and genre-bending sound, the American singer-songwriter and actress has consistently pushed artistic boundaries while openly sharing her personal journey and advocating for crucial social causes. Her career, marked by significant commercial success and critical acclaim, continues to evolve with the recent release of her fifth studio album, The Great Impersonator.
Born in Edison, New Jersey, Halsey’s early life was fraught with challenges. Her parents dropped out of college after her mother’s pregnancy, and the family moved frequently. Halsey experienced bullying and, at 17, a suicide attempt led to a bipolar disorder diagnosis, a condition her mother also shares. These formative experiences, including periods of homelessness in New York City, profoundly influenced her songwriting. She adopted her stage name, Halsey, as an anagram of her first name and a nod to the Halsey Street station in Brooklyn, a place where she began writing music and felt a sense of belonging (Wikipedia).
Halsey’s career took off in 2014 after self-releasing music on social media, notably her song “Ghost” on SoundCloud, which quickly gained traction. She signed with Astralwerks, valuing the creative freedom they offered. Her debut EP, Room 93 (2014), laid the groundwork for her critically and commercially successful debut studio album, Badlands (2015). This concept album, a metaphor for her mental state, debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and was certified double platinum by the RIAA. Singles like “New Americana” and “Colors” became fan favorites.
The year 2016 saw Halsey achieve massive global success as a featured vocalist and co-writer on The Chainsmokers’ single “Closer.” The track topped charts in the US and ten other countries for 12 consecutive weeks, selling over 15 million units worldwide and becoming one of Spotify’s most streamed songs (Wikipedia, Spotify). Her second album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (2017), debuted atop the Billboard 200, making her the first woman to achieve a number one album in the US in 2017. It featured hits like “Now or Never” and “Bad at Love.” She continued to collaborate, notably on “Him & I” with G-Eazy and “Eastside” with Benny Blanco and Khalid, while also venturing into acting, voicing Wonder Woman in Teen Titans Go! To the Movies and making a cameo in A Star Is Born.
In 2018, Halsey moved to Capitol Records, releasing “Without Me,” which became her first solo number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 and received diamond certification by the RIAA. Her third album, Manic (2020), became her best-selling album worldwide. Beyond music, Halsey released her poetry book, I Would Leave Me If I Could, which became a New York Times Best Seller. By 2020, Billboard reported her albums had sold over one million combined units and garnered over six billion streams in the United States (Wikipedia). Spotify data indicates she has amassed over 31 billion combined global streams to date, including more than 12.5 billion U.S. streams (Spotify).
Her fourth album, If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power (2021), produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, marked a shift to a darker, industrial sound and received critical acclaim. A notable controversy arose in 2022 when Halsey publicly criticized Capitol Records for allegedly withholding the release of her song “So Good” due to demands for TikTok virality. This dispute ultimately led to her parting ways with Capitol in April 2023 and signing with Columbia Records in June 2023 (Wikipedia).
Halsey’s fifth studio album, The Great Impersonator, was released on October 25, 2024. Promotional singles like “The End,” which addresses her health battles, “Lucky” (sampling Britney Spears), “Lonely Is the Muse,” and “Ego” have offered a glimpse into the album’s experimental nature. She also appeared as Tabby Martin in the film MaXXXine in 2024. Throughout her career, Halsey has been a vocal advocate for mental health awareness, LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and racial justice. She has openly discussed her diagnoses, including bipolar disorder, endometriosis, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Sjögren syndrome, mast cell activation syndrome, POTS, and, most recently, lupus and a T-cell disorder (Wikipedia). Her transparency about her health and personal life, including her bisexuality and journey as a parent, has resonated deeply with fans, solidifying her status as a powerful voice of her generation.
