Halsey’s rise to stardom began in an unlikely place: the hardcore scene in New Jersey.
In a recently shared TikTok video, the Grammy-nominated artist, whose real name is Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, reminisced about her early years organizing shows for hardcore and metal bands.
“I used to promote hardcore shows in Jersey before I started making music,” Halsey said in the video during a meet-and-greet event at Ulta for her About-Face beauty line. “I did a lot of hardcore but then also some of the more commercial hardcore. The biggest show I ever booked, I was 16, was like August Burns Red and The Devil Wears Prada.”
She also revealed that her senior yearbook quote was inspired by the hardcore band Defeater, adding, “I’ve said before that I might have quoted Hundredth, too, so who knows.”
While Halsey’s roots in hardcore may seem far from her current pop success, they help explain the genre-blending style that has shaped her career. Her debut album Badlands (2015) debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, a feat she repeated with Manic (2020) and If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power (2021). Halsey achieved her first solo Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 with the 2018 hit “Without Me,” and her latest album, The Great Impersonator (2024), entered at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. It also topped the Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts, selling 93,000 equivalent album units in its first week, including 81,000 in traditional album sales, according to Luminate.
The Great Impersonator marked her third album to lead the latter chart, following If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power (2021) and Badlands (2015). It also reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart, thanks to impressive vinyl sales, which made up 26,000 of the total.
The album includes tracks like “Panic Attack” and “Ego,” which debuted on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart at No. 25 and No. 30, respectively. “Ego” also made significant strides on the radio, peaking at No. 25 on Adult Pop Airplay and No. 28 on Pop Airplay.
Halsey’s connection to rock and metal began long before her commercial success. Her 2021 album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, featured collaborations with rock legends like Dave Grohl and Lindsey Buckingham. With The Great Impersonator, Halsey further explored her rock influences, even channeling iconic looks from artists like David Bowie, Cher, and Bruce Springsteen leading up to the album’s release in October 2024.
