ESCAPE: Up and coming artist, Halsey, releases her new album, Badlands.
By Michelle Boulos, Staff Writer
Music can connect an artist to a listener in many different ways. Whether it’s through melodies or lyrics, people experience emotions that make the musician relatable, and a part of the singer seems to be revealed through his or her song.
New artist, Halsey, takes her listeners to new heights, not only revealing a piece of herself through her music, but also bringing her listeners on a journey through her mind in her first full- length, debut album, Badlands.
What makes Badlands so special is that it is a concept album– a re-popularized art form where every song is connected by a single thread and follows a story, a technique used by Madonna and Muse.
Halsey, whose real name is Ashley Fragenpine, lets us travel to a fictional place in the recesses of her mind that she calls Badlands.
“It’s the metaphor for people not wanting to pry into my head, because it’s not a very good place. I make a choice to leave the badlands… that’s me transitioning from this mindset that wasn’t so positive,” Halsey said in an interview with Popcrush magazine.
To get the full experience, it is recommended that you listen to this album without doing anything else, solely focusing on each song in the album’s order. Honestly, it’s mesmerizing.
The record begins with “Castle” where Halsey runs away to a safeguard, her castle, after she is “sick of all these people talking, sick of all this noise.” The track describes what the title’s namesake is like, and it is representative of the prying media and society.
Metaphorically speaking, once she runs away from the media and people who constantly criticize her brash attitude and feminist views, Halsey embraces herself through “New Americana.” One of the more popular songs on the album, the listening public has compared it to “Royals” by fellow pop artist Lorde with lines like “survival of the richest.” Really, she ushers in a new era of teens and a story of her “self-made success,” being “raised on Biggie and Nirvana.”
Other tracks like “Drive” and “Roman Holiday” give us a taste of the freelance joyride of escaping the Badlands; we even get a glimpse of a love story turned scenery in “Colors,” a tale of lovers, which fades away like a “saturated sunset” into “Colors Pt. II,” where their story becomes a mere echo.
The songs only become dreamier and more mellow afterward as Halsey flies on. She leaves listeners with the final song, “I Walk the Line,” the summation of all the escapades in her songs, which could be seen as the lessons learned from them.
The album leaves the listener feeling satisfied, yet, still yearning for more of her soothing voice. The journey is a roller coaster of emotions, exploring the depths and intricacies of the human mind.
The sexually driven album certainly deserved its explicit mark – some of the songs mention drug use – but really it is the artistry of her songs that leaves its mark after listening.
Badlands is not Halsey’s first album, as she released an EP (extended player) called Room 39 earlier this year. This album, however, is the source of more of her fame, as it reached record sales within its first week.
The New Jersey native is an icon of the American melting pot and an advocate for women’s rights, and she has become the face of teenage girls exploring a grungy side.
Halsey has cultivated her success entirely on her own. She rose from a Youtube user to the empress of an empire without anyone’s help. With a recently finished tour under her belt, Halsey will go on to be the opening act for fellow musician, The Weeknd, on his headliner tour.
Halsey will continue to fascinate listeners despite any criticism from the media, as everyone else will continue watching her “roll with Rockefellers.”