Just three weeks ago on Aug. 28, Halsey, birth name Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, released her debut album entitled Badlands. Her album peaked in the United States at number two and has been getting a lot of attention in the media recently.
In case you haven’t heard of her before, Halsey is a 20-year-old singer/songwriter and New Jersey native with outstanding talent, a killer voice and a wildly fun personality, which you can see shine through in all of her social media posts. Her music is typically categorized as indie pop or electropop, but I personally think her music slips into multiple different genres and sometimes cannot be categorized as just one. Overall, I would highly recommend giving Badlands a listen, no matter what genre of music you are typically into.
Halsey’s style is the perfect combination of underground indie music mixed with radio-playable pop, topped off with an entirely unique vibe. Badlands is the type of music that takes you to another world when you listen to it, and that is something I really appreciate about Halsey’s work on this album.
Badlands is a concept album, which is another really incredible part about it. The concept Halsey conveys with Badlands is the isolated state of mind she was in whilst writing the album. “Badlands” represents a fictitious town she created, originally inspired by Las Vegas.
If I’m being honest, though, when the album first came out, I actually strayed away from listening to it. I thought that, because it was getting so much attention in the media, it was going to be just another boring pop album that gets far too much radio play. However, I clearly was quite wrong. When I finally decided to give the album a full listen all the way through not too long ago, I was floored by the excellence of the album and wonderfully surprised by the electronic style Halsey achieved on it as well. I have been finding myself listening to Badlands while I work out, walk to class, drive around, etc. because it is really perfect for any mood you are in, and it will always take you to that fantasy state of mind.
Another thing I really appreciate about the album is the incredible lyricism. Halsey truly has a way with her words, and each lyric is beautifully written, incredibly relatable, and extremely unique and poetic. Being a writer myself, I found this aspect of Halsey’s album extremely appealing. If you’re an avid Tumblr user like myself, you won’t be able to escape any of Halsey’s lyrics because they are constantly floating around the site. Not only has she been popping up like crazy on Tumblr, but also on apps like Instagram, Twitter, etc. She has created a huge following in such a short amount of time, and she definitely deserves it because she’s truly a tremendously talented person.
The songs “Ghost” and “New Americana” have gained the most attention in the media, being that they are both singles, and I would definitely consider giving those songs a listen if you have not already heard them. My personal favorites, however, are “Drive” and “Roman Holiday.” If you like songs with incredible lyrics, a cool beat, and a chill vibe, I would definitely check those out.
Halsey is truly inescapable, flushing through all forms of media, and I would not miss out on listening to such a popular and incredible album. Halsey began her headlining Badlands tour, which sold out almost immediately, on Sept. 6, and she is playing not too far from here in New York City on Oct. 22 and 23.
IMAGE TAKEN from theodysseyonline.com