Halsey

Ashley Nicolette Frangipane (IPA: FRAN-jih-PAH-nee; born September 29, 1994), known professionally as Halsey ( HAWL-zee), is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. Noted for her distinctive singing voice, she has received several awards 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), likewise with its singles "Colors", "Gasoline" and "New Americana", the latter of which became her first entry on the 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 than her previous efforts; it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, while its singles "Now or Never" and "Bad at Love" both reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100—with the latter peaking in 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 remains her most commercially successful song 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; 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 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. In 2020, Billboard reported that Halsey has sold over one million albums 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.