By Hayley Cohen, Staff Writer
After two years of keeping fans waiting for new music, Halsey, otherwise known as Ashley Frangipane, dropped her third and latest studio album, “Manic,” on Jan. 17. Halsey performs music in the pop, electropop, synth-pop, art pop, alternative pop, R&B, and indie pop styles.
“She’s basically the new Avril Lavigne of this decade,” Ryan Miller, Post alum, said. “I don’t usually listen to female artists, yet alone pop music, but Halsey did a great job this time.”
Prior to the album’s full release, Halsey dropped four singles. “Without Me” became her first Billboard Hot 100 chart topper, detailing a toxic, draining relationship. “Nightmare” is an angsty girl anthem.
“Graveyard” paints a picture of “being in love with someone who is in a bad place and loving them so much that their lover doesn’t realize that they’re going to that bad place with them,” as Halsey explained during a seven-hour YouTube live stream. “Clementine” was released on Halsey’s birthday, along with a touching video of Halsey and one of her younger brothers Sevian Frangipane dancing through a dimly lit aquarium.
Each and every one of her 16 songs in her latest album all have deep meaning for the artist and can be relatable to listeners. “Manic” was written in Halsey’s first-person perspective. It flips lonely self-awareness into strength. Some of its most captivating bits are overpowered by the dullness of modern pop.
Student Michele Strocchia’s favorite song on the album is “You Should be Sad.” “The song starts with Halsey saying she wants to get a few things off her chest. She isn’t the type of person to live life with resentment, and I found myself relating to that message portrayed in this song,” Strocchia said.
Photographs of Halsey show how deeply she cares for her music. Her fame is constantly growing. One student who preferred not to be named does not listen to Halsey or her genre of music, but they commented on why the artist might be growing in popularity. “I guess that people are just able to relate to her on a whole new level that a lot of other pop artists don’t have in common with her,” they said.
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