Melodic mimicry

AMERICAN singer Halsey’s fifth studio album The Great Impersonator drops tomorrow.

It explores the songwriter’s authenticity as she impersonates different musicians throughout the 18-track project.

The artist initiated a social media countdown for the concept album’s release by revealing all the music icons she mimicked for each song, including Dolly Parton, Aaliyah, Britney Spears, Cher, David Bowie, and Amy Lee of metal band Evanescence among many more.

Fans believe the album also serves as Halsey’s way of paying homage to the artists she grew up listening to.

The visionary also takes inspiration from her younger self. She revealed that for the track Hurt Feelings, she refers to her Badlands (2015) look, when she was recognised for her vibrant blue hair.

The recording process, from 2022 to 2024, happened during a time when the singer was struggling with lupus and T-cell disorder diagnoses, which she only revealed earlier this year.

She explained that the idea for the album comes from her having to wear wigs and heavy makeup during the height of her illness.

“There was already this magic trick brewing subconsciously in a sleight of hand of ‘don’t notice how sick I am’. I was like a magician, I felt like a professional Halsey impersonator,” she said in an interview, adding that she believed at some point this would be the last album she would ever make.

Born and raised in New Jersey as Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, Halsey started writing music at 17 and posted her first original song titled Ghost on SoundCloud in 2014.

Her 2021 album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power was influenced by the industrial music genre (aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music), and tackled the ‘joys and horrors of childbirth’ from the single mum’s perspective.

Its ambitious concept and theatrical production earned it the Best Alternative Music Album nomination at the 2022 Grammy Awards.

Halsey’s stage name is an anagram of her first name and also a reference to New York City Subway’s Halsey Street station.