Halsey is the stage name of Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, a 20-year-old New Jersey native. Halsey had musical talent throughout childhood, originally playing the violin, viola, and cello until moving onto the acoustic guitar when she was 14. Around the age of 16  she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. When she was 18, Halsey encountered financial trouble and music became a way to pay her rent, and she played many shows in all different cities under various stage names. She chose “Halsey” and kept it because it is an anagram of her real name and a street in Brooklyn where she spent a lot of her time.

In 2014 Halsey recorded “Ghost” and posted it on SoundCloud. This song lead Astralwerks to her and she released her debut EP titled Room 93 in October 2014. She then toured with The Kooks, Young Rising Sons, and Imagine Dragons. Badlands was released by her label on August 28, 2015, but is only now growing in popularity fueled by a performance with Justin Bieber on the Today Show on November 18th, and also with single “New Americana” just beginning to play on the radio.

According to Halsey, “Badlands is a concept album that focuses on the fictional dystopian society known as The Badlands. The city is surrounded by a desert wasteland, keeping the inhabitants of The Badlands captive.” The entire concept of Badlands is a metaphor for her mental state. Halsey created the Badlands as an escape, and the entire album is electronic pop and at times dark and twisted. In song “Colors”, she sings “You’re only happy when you’re sorry head is filled with dope, hope you make it to the day you’re 28 years old.” Halsey writes her own lyrics and unlike a lot of lyrics on the radio lately, they are well thought out and descriptive. There are little to no instruments used on the entire album and the beat is always electronic.  I would compare Badlands to Lana Del Rey, Lorde, or even the Chainsmokers’ “Roses” fans.