it's Mia
Jan 17, 2020
Updated: Apr 20, 2021
equality factor: wide range of genres and open approach to diverse sexual orientation
feature parts: Alanis Morissette, Suga from BTS, Dominic Fike
producer: a.o. Greg Kurstin, Finneas, Benny Blanco, Lido
label: Capitol
origin: New York
Halsey is in her whole artistic and personal appearance a singer who couldn't fit better to music is her passion and so does her recently released album "Manic".
On "Manic" Halsey not only roams through different musical genres but also draws an extremely honest self-image, which shows the artist in all her musical preferences, such as psychic moods. What stands out most on this album is both the stylistic and emotional range that the 25-year-old artist reveals to us.
On "Manic", Halsey draws an extremely honest self-image.
An album that is a portrait of an artist and is entitled "Manic" says it all about the fragile honesty of this work. Halsey, who once referred to herself on Twitter as "tri-bi", meaning bipolar, bisexual and biracial, convincingly adorns these three personalities on her third studio album. Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, as the artist's real name is called, suffers from a bipolar disorder just like her mother, which now also characterizes the title of her album. The openness and lyrical accuracy leave the listener with the impression of reading from her diary. This diary contains the heights and successes we all know from the media as well as self-doubt, the processing of failed relationships, self-love, longings, and fragile moments.
Also, concerning the feature parts, this album could not be more diverse. With Alanis Morissette, who, like the other two feature parts, is also allowed to give her name to the track with "Alanis' Interlude", Halsey has put a timeless female rock icon on her album. Suga from BTS makes the album appear cosmopolitan through his feature part and enchants with the sound of his voice, which seems to come from a completely distant world. The third and final feature part is performed by Dominic Fike, who is the perfect duet partner for Halsey in "Dominics' Interlude".
With Alanis Morissette, Halsey has put a timeless female rock icon on her album.
Halsey also relies on diversity when it comes to the production of her album, not in terms of gender relations, but in terms of musical range. Among the producers, for example, we find Billie Eilish's brother Finneas, who produced the tracks "3 am", "You should be sad" and "Finally // Beautiful Stranger" together with Benny Blanco, Louis Bell, and Greg Kurstin. The last two mentioned tracks show Halsey from a country music side, which she hadn't shown before in this form, while "3 am" where Chad Smith can be heard on drums reminds of the late Red Hot Chili Peppers. But these cleverly arranged songs are only one part of a very coherent piece of art, which she created with the help of numerous other male producers like Cashmere Cat, Lido, and Andrew Wells.
When it comes to mastering, mixing and programming, Halsey rely on male support through and through, and when it comes to the composition and lyrics of her songs, she is predominantly supported by men. For "Still Learning" she enlisted the help of Ed Sheeran for the lyrics and "Without Me" was co-written among others by Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. The only woman who contributed in a creative way to the album besides Ashley herself is the singer and songwriter Amy Allen, who recently also contributed to the hit "Back To You" by Selena Gomez. Another woman we find with Aria McKnight on the Capitol Records site, who is working as A&R alongside Jeremy Vuernick.
The only woman who contributed in a creative way to the album besides Halsey herself is the singer and songwriter Amy Allen.
The fact that there are many more women working in Halsey's team than are to be found in the credits on her album is proven by the lovingly produced video series "Road to Manic" by DONSLONS. In a total of eight episodes, we can accompany Halsey and her team around the world as they prepare to release their album. Here we get a very sensitive look behind the scenes, which shows how full the diary of the exceptional artist, who lives in New York, is.
At the latest since her stirring poetic speech at the Women's March 2018, Halsey has underscored her role as a burning feminist and is thus at the forefront of an enlightened generation of female artists who are committed to equal rights and equality. With this album, she gives us deep insights into her fragile personality, which, underscored by cleverly produced beats and such multi-faceted sounds, results in a unique and very coherent musical work of art.