Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio

The Paisano

Halsey:’Badlands’

Halsey copy

The words to describe Halsey, the newest musician blowing up the pop charts, vary depending on whom you ask. Some may dismiss her as overrated, while others describe her as a revolutionary — a goddess with a breath of fresh air for the music industry. One thing is for certain: she can’t and won’t be ignored.

Halsey is the alter-ego of Ashley Frangipane, a twenty year old from New Jersey. Though she sports the sea-foam green hair of millennials like Kylie Jenner, the singer has been putting in work at an early age. She started here musical journey by releasing her songs over YouTube and BandCamp, reaching up to 16,000 subscribers on YouTube by the age of 18.

After the release and widespread acclaim of her first single “Ghost” in January 2014, she signed to her current label Astralwerks, which hoped for a mainstream breakthrough album soon to follow for the singer. Never one to follow orders, the singer released a small EP, “Room 93,” in October that same year.

Since blowing up, Halsey is scheduled to tour with The Weeknd in the “Beauty Behind the Madness” tour. Her sultry voice alone puts her in a league with stars such as Lana Del Rey and Lorde, yet her songwriting is what sets her apart from her peers.

“Badlands,” Halsey’s full-length debut album from this August, is as resilient, sassy and honest as Halsey. Full of electric undertones, her pop style is catchy, emotional and raw. She holds nothing back in her music, singing about her mental health in the world of celebrities, her chaotic and raw love life as well as the power struggles between the older generation and the millennials.

The album opens with “Castle,” a powerful single that translates feelings of invincibility. Its companion, “Hold Me Down,” is what Halsey explained at a live show earlier this year as inspired by “meeting a bunch of mean, old men who thought they knew better than I,” and it shows in the lyrics: “I sold my soul to a three-piece/And he told me I was holy…”

The track “New Americana,” her biggest chart hit thus far, has the energetic flow associated with a new generation of young adults. Halsey reflects on the new trends in the American youth, and the strange diversity surrounding a wild and unique population of teenagers.The song exudes the California drive vibes on a night with no responsibilities.

On the darker side of the album, “Gasoline” sets a slow and gloomy mood representative of Halsey’s battle with her thoughts and mindset when the pressure of fame escalates. The conflicts with a low self-esteem and body image are explored, along with the artist’s Bipolar disorder diagnosis. The following track, “Control,” prolongs the eerie mood of the second half of this introspective album.

You can see Halsey on her current tour, at the Austin City Limits Festival in October or accompanying The Weeknd on his tour later this year. For social media updates, follow her on her Twitter handle @halsey, or on her Instagram account @iamhalsey.

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