Allow Me to Introduce Halsey...

A year ago if you had asked me who Ashley Frangipane was, I would not have had an answer for you and neither would most of America. Also a year ago, I could not tell you the impact she’d have on a lot of other girls, me included, who love her. However, fast forward to October 2015 when Ashley (known as Halsey) just finished two nights in NYC in the middle of her gigantic sold out headliner tour for Badlands, most people would tell you who she is. Her fans do not have an age, just people connecting to the story.

April of 2015 I was at Webster Hall in New York City to see the Glamour Kills spring tour. Playing the 200-cap area was Halsey, touring for her Room 93 EP. The show was sold out, but I did not know who she was or why she was a big deal. Later that week I looked into her EP and thought it was decent and that she sounded like Lana Del Rey. Several months later she announced her debut record Badlands. There were three songs to download immediately when you pre-ordered the record, and I was hooked on the catchiness of “Hold Me Down” and “Hurricane.” Then came the video for her single “Ghost”, cementing her as an artist to watch. The “Ghost” video became controversial because it features intimacy between two girls, but the controversy seemed to help her career instead of hurting it. The album came out August 28 of this year and almost two months later, I can’t stop listening to the hypnotic, anti-pop anthems. The album has a story, and portrays a message that is easily relatable.

She has come out as bisexual, bipolar and biracial. Although this has nothing to do with her talent or her voice, it does draw more attention to her because there is no artist in the pop scene blowing up so fast or as relevant, that connects to that many groups of people as Halsey does. The power and command that Halsey exhibits on stage does not fit the debut album of a 21 year old.

Because Badlands, is such a conceptual record, Halsey has done many things to invite her fans into the Badlands and the world she is currently existing in. When the record came out she did a “Badlands Air” event where a pop up shop opened, with tickets to her record release show in LA, featuring art for every song on the record. Throughout the Badlands Tour she’s had the “Camp Badlands” experience, which further showed fans the world this record lives in. Most recently she did “Badlands Underground” which was an exclusive event in NYC. The “Badlands Underground” was a question and answer with Halsey along with some lucky fans getting to meet her and quickly express their love to her directly.

Halsey is a force to be reckoned with in the pop world and she has proved it over and over again. She recently announced a Badlands Tour Finale at the famous Madison Square Garden, which holds 19,500 people. Presale tickets sold out in less than 24 hours and it is predicted to sell out the entire arena. If you’re not familiar with her already, check out the album. Halsey is going to be a name a lot of people know.

Check out: Gasoline, Colors and Hurricane