Halsey by Sarah Pardini for Paper September 2024

Ashley Nicolette Frangipane (born September 29, 1994), known professionally as Halsey, is an American singer and songwriter. She was born and raised in New Jersey. Gaining attention from self-released music on social media platforms, she was signed by Astralwerks in 2014 and released her debut EP, Room 93, later that year. She released her debut studio album, Badlands, in 2015. The album was later certified Double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), as were its tracks "Colors" and "Gasoline".

In 2016, she was featured on The Chainsmokers' single "Closer", which topped the charts in over 10 countries, and was later certified 14× Platinum by the RIAA. Her second studio album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (2017), consisted of more "radio-friendly" music than her previous releases; 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. In 2018, she released the single "Eastside" alongside Benny Blanco and Khalid, which reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100.

Halsey's third studio album, Manic (2020), became her best selling album worldwide, while its lead single "Without Me" became her most successful single as a lead artist. Her fourth studio 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 reviews.

In 2020, Billboard reported that Halsey has sold over 1 million albums and received over 6 billion streams in the United States. She is noted for her distinctive singing voice. Her awards include three Billboard Music Awards, as well as a Billboard Women in Music Award, an American Music Award, one GLAAD Media Award, an MTV Video Music Award, and nominations for three Grammy Awards. Halsey was named Songwriter of the Year by BMI Film & TV Awards in 2021. She was also included on Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020. Aside from music, she has been involved in suicide prevention awareness, sexual assault victim advocacy, and racial justice protests.