Halsey Music I love
Halsey is one of the women in music whom I absolutely adore. She’s so dynamic and cool. And it’s really surprising to realise that I’ve never really given her the recognition she deserves here. I’ve spoken about Lorde so much, but Halsey’s just as important.
I first heard Halsey’s music when Badlands was released. I saw a lot of people tweeting about the album and thought “why not?”. I spent all evening listening to it. I didn’t immediately fall in love with the album. It was a long process that held my hand as I grew older. And eventually I came to a point when Halsey meant so so much to me. It was almost insane. And then came hopeless fountain kingdom. Much like Badlands, I didn’t appreciate the music much. I thought it was way to pop and drew too much of it’s inspiration from mainstream music for me. But, as history repeated itself, it’s almost a year since hfk, and I really don’t know how I would have survived 2017 and 18 without the album.
And I’ve noticed that a significant number of people on the internet don’t like her much. People find her fake deep or that she gives herself too much importance. While I can understand where they’re coming from, I personally just don’t feel this way. Partly why I love her so much is the fact she’s so controversial but so unapologetic about it. She’s such a strong person and seems so diverse in terms of her personality. She may seem fake, but we’ll never really know until we meet her right?
Anyway,
Despite loving every song, there are a few I like more than the others. Here is a list of them. I hold all these songs very dearly in my heart.
(Note: This isn’t written in an order of how much I like them – it’s just the order at which they came to my head
- Alone
Alone is Halsey’s most recent single and music video. I have to be honest – I’m not particularly attached to the remixed version with Big Sean and Steffle Don. But I absolutely adore the original song. I can personally identify with the lyrics particularly well. It put’s into tangible words something I’ve felt all my life. And the music oh man.
The darker themes of the lyrics contrasted with this relatively more positive music. I get such hotel elevator vibes from this song, but it could also be played at a party and get away with it. It’s so orange and red and yellow. (And coincidentally the music video also explores the same colours so it’s great). I find the instrumentation so unique. And the vocal harmonies are just . Basically, I love it a lot.
- Trouble
This was probably the first Halsey song I attempted to play on the piano. I spent so many hours looking for sheet music for the accompaniment, it was crazy. This song. This fucking song.
Fun fact: My personal songwriting style is partially inspired by the lyrics of this song. And sometimes when I listen to this song, I feel as if Halsey’s crying while she’s singing this song. I know she isn’t – but I just feel as if she is. Anyway. I have a really soft place in my heart for love songs that talk about love like this. Love like obsession and madness. And the piano accompaniment captures the darkness so beautifully. My heart goes into another place altogether when I listen to this song.
- Walls Could Talk
Definitely the coolest song on the new album. First of all, I’m a huge sucker for strings. Secondly, I die when you blend strings with electronic sounds. And I just can’t handle this song because it has both.
Like when I listen to this song, I feel like throwing a party at the Louvre or the Palais du Versailles. Which is something that so typical of Halsey for me – she’s so dynamic and she brings opposing things together. ALSO, because I learned this song on the piano, I learned the theory behind it as well. And Halsey you goddess. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a diminished chord in popular music. And such a cool chord progression. Halsey’s lack of fear when it comes to subtly playing around with musical conventions is just something I really admire.
- Coming Down
Halsey’s music has moods and atmospheres that they fit into so beautifully. Coming Down is the song I listen to on the way back home from a party on a late night. I love how simple it is. Not too complicated, but not too boring either.
Once again, I love the way she depicts love and her relationship in her older music. I also really love the use of vocal harmonies to support the melody during the verses. And also in general the harmonies are just – they stand out so much. In conclusion, this song is just .
- Slow
A song I most recently discovered. I fucking love this song. The post Room 93 and pre Badlands era is just something I’m so so in love with.
The music is pretty unique. It’s a lot closer (haha) to her more recent music like hfk, despite belonging to a time before Badlands. I also love how it’s “Is There Somewhere” but from the other’s perspective. The lyrics are just 🔥. I don’t usually sing/rap songs like this, but it’s like a secret dream that one day I want to be on a stage singing/rapping this song. Plus, I also love how it references and teases other Halsey music. ‘Is There Somewhere and ‘Castle’ more explicitly, but also “Drive” and Gasoline.
It musically denotes her transition from Room 93 to Badlands, as well as foreshadows are bit (in hindsight ofc) about HFK. It makes this song legendary. It makes it a – wait for it – bop.
So as I was writing this I realised – this is really fucking long. I mean we’ve reached a thousand words and I’m only half way through the list. So I had the brilliant idea of dividing this post into two parts. And yes, you have reached the end of part 1. I’m a piece of shit, aren’t I?
But nah, it’s chill. I’ll post the second part soon. Soon enough. I’ll try okay – I have exams. IBDP sucks. But these posts aren’t so much effort. Like I’m typing from the heart so I’m thinking so much about how words sound and blah blah blah.
But in all seriousness, don’t wait for the second post. Listen to this music. Absorb the music. Let it fill you. Flood your room with these sounds, and let your heart drown. It’s music that it very close to my heart. Let it make its way into yours as well.
-love and art, (but also love art)
lostinthegreatescape
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