By Samantha Franco
Halsey’s rising popularity has made her one of the top new females to watch in pop. RICH FURY/AP
Debuting in the No. 2 spot on the Billboard 200, Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, better known by her stage name Halsey, has already created a strong presence for herself in the alternative music world. Her first full-length album, Badlands, sounds like a mix of Lorde, Lana Del Rey and Taylor Swift. The New Jersey-born singer is the second biggest female artist to debut in 2015, following Meghan Trainor.
“Control,” “Hold Me Down” and “Hurricane” explore Halsey’s experience living with bipolar disorder. In “Control,” she sings, “I’m bigger than my body / I’m colder than this home / I’m meaner than my demons / I’m bigger than these bones,” clearly depicting her struggle in dealing with her inner emotions. “Hold Me Down,” the first song released off of her album, describes the singer’s overtly sexual, self-destructive love affair with lines such as: “I sold my soul to a three-piece / And he told me I was holy / He’s got me down on both knees / But it’s the devil that’s tryna hold me down.”
In “New Americana,” Halsey describes the influences that have shaped her and her generation. Because she is biracial, her songs are often influenced by both alternative and rap music which her mother and father, respectively, would listen to when she was a child. She sings “We are the new americana / High on legal marijuana / Raised on Biggie and Nirvana / We are the new americana.”
Badlands has ensured that Halsey will not be dropping off the radar any time soon. Even before the debut of her album, Halsey was named the most-mentioned artist on Twitter at SXSW earlier this year. Her popularity has only skyrocketed since her album was released, and it was revealed that she is touring with The Weeknd later this year. Halsey is here to stay.
