Ashley Nicolette Frangipane (IPA: /ˌfrændʒɪˈpɑːni/ FRAN-jih-PAH-nee; born September 29, 1994), known professionally as Halsey (/ˈhɔːlzi/ HAWL-zee), is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Noted for her distinctive singing voice, she has received several accolades including three Billboard Music Awards, a Billboard Women in Music Award, an American Music Award and nominations for three Grammy Awards. She was included on Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020.
Halsey was born and raised in New Jersey. Gaining attention from self-released music on social media platforms, she signed with Astralwerks in 2014 to release her debut extended play (EP), Room 93, in October of that year. Her debut studio album, Badlands (2015) was met with critical and commercial success—debuting at number two on the Billboard 200. It received double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), along with its singles "Colors", "Gasoline" and "New Americana", the latter of which became her first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 60.
In 2016, Halsey co-performed with the Chainsmokers on their single "Closer", which topped the charts in the US and ten countries, while receiving 14× platinum certification by the RIAA. Her second studio album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (2017) embodied a more "radio-friendly" sound and debuted atop the Billboard 200, while its singles "Now or Never" and "Bad at Love", both entered the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100—the latter peaked within the top five. Her 2018 single, "Eastside" (with Benny Blanco and Khalid), found continued success and peaked within the top ten. Later that year, she was moved to Capitol Records.
Halsey's third studio album, Manic (2020), became her best selling album worldwide. Its lead single, "Without Me" topped the Billboard Hot 100, received diamond certification by the RIAA, and yielded her furthest commercial success as a lead artist. Her fourth album, If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power (2021), moved away from her previous sound in favor of a darker industrial sound to generally positive reception. She then parted ways with Capitol in 2023, following a controversy surrounding the release of her non-album single, "So Good" the year prior. After signing with Columbia Records, Halsey's fifth studio album The Great Impersonator followed in 2024. By 2020, Billboard reported that her albums had sold over one million combined units, and received over six billion streams in the United States. Aside from music, she has been involved in suicide prevention awareness, sexual assault victim advocacy, and racial justice protests.
She made her musical guest debut on Saturday Night Live on January 13, 2018, the tenth episode and first show of New Year 2018 of Season 43, hosted by actor Sam Rockwell. She performs her singles "Bad at Love" and "Him & I" with her then-boyfriend G-Eazy.
She returned to Saturday Night Live to hosting for the first time, performing double duty and she made her 2nd musical guest appearance on February 9, 2019, the twelfth episode of Season 44 of Saturday Night Live. She performed her songs "Without Me" and "Eastside".
She returned to Saturday Night Live again for her 3rd musical guest appearance on January 25, 2020, the eleventh episode and the first show of New Year 2020 of Season 45, hosted by actor Adam Driver. She performed her songs "You Should Be Sad" and "Finally // Beautiful Stranger" from her third album Manic and she also appears in the pre-recorded "Slow" and the Cheer sketch.
She returned to Saturday Night Live once again for her 4th musical guest appearance on October 9, 2021, the second episode of Season 47 hosted by the socialite, media personality, and businesswoman Kim Kardashian West. She performed her songs "I am not a woman, I'm a god" and "Darling" with Lindsey Buckingham from her fourth album If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power.
Biography[]
Halsey released her debut studio album, Badlands, in 2015. It was certified Double Platinum by the RIAA, as were its tracks "Colors" and "Gasoline". In 2016, she was featured on the Chainsmokers' single "Closer", which topped the charts in over 10 countries. Her second studio album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (2017), consisted of more "radio-friendly" music than her previous releases; its singles "Now or Never" and "Bad at Love" reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, with the former peaking in the top five. Halsey's third studio album, Manic (2020), became her best selling album worldwide, while its lead single "Without Me" became her most successful single as a lead artist. Her fourth studio album, If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power (2021), moved away from her previous sound in favor of a darker industrial sound; described by Halsey as "the album [she] always wanted to make", it was produced by Nine Inch Nails members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and received widespread critical acclaim.
In 2020, Billboard reported that Halsey has sold over 1 million albums and received over 6 billion streams in the United States. She is noted for her distinctive singing voice. Her awards and nominations include four Billboard Music Awards, one American Music Award, one GLAAD Media Award, an MTV Video Music Award, two Grammy Awards, and being named Songwriter of the year by BMI Film & TV Awards in 2021. She was also included on Time magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020. Aside from music, she has been involved in suicide prevention awareness, sexual assault victim advocacy, and racial justice protests.
On August 27, 2021, Halsey released her fourth studio album, If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, with little prior promotion. Produced by Nine Inch Nails members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, it received critical acclaim. Leading up to the album's release, a companion film of the same name was screened at select IMAX theaters; it was later released on HBO Max on October 7. The album was further supported by the single "I Am Not a Woman, I'm a God".
Impressions[]
- Lili Reinhart
- Rashida Tlaib
- Kendall Jenner
Gallery[]
