Ashley Frangipane, who goes by the stage name Halsey, has dominated the music charts for the last few years. Halsey has experimented with various styles, including rock, pop, and even dabbling briefly in rap before settling with the “alternative” label. As of lately, Halsey’s sound is progressing into something angrier as she fuels her lyrics with rage caused by various social issues.
Halsey
Ashley Frangipane, who goes by the alias Halsey, is an American singer/songwriter that has been a part of countless genres. Halsey has dabbled in a little bit of everything, from pop, to alternative, to rap, to rock, and even some screamo.
I used to have a love-hate relationship with Halsey’s music. After the release of her debut album “BADLANDS,” her music was all over the radio. Not that that is a bad thing.
She went from being just another up and coming alt-pop artist to being a strong role model to young girls, amplifying the voices of women traumatized by a life of secrecy.
— Op-ed Editor Rachel Laposka
The bad thing about her music being all over the radio is that it took away from their overall meaning. Songs like “New Americana” were quickly run to the ground after countless plays on the radio thanks to the alternative-pop sound.
But now it is safe to say that Halsey has found her place in the music industry. Her overall genre could be described as alternative, but only in the sense that she takes aspects from many different genres and blends them into her music.
My favorite song of hers is “Experiment on Me,” which was featured on the “Birds of Prey” soundtrack.
“Experiment on Me” is a wildly powerful song. It is vastly different from anything Halsey has ever released, which may be why I love it so much. The instrumentals are much heavier than Halsey’s usual soft alt-pop instrumentals.
The vocals of the song are something I honestly did not expect from Halsey. Her voice is strong throughout the entirety of the song. As the song progresses, her voice gets angrier and more intense, building up emotion until the end of the song where she breaks out into full screamo vocals.
“Experiment on Me” is a powerful song without a doubt. It can also be described as a feminist anthem. Every time I listen to it, I feel as if I am capable of doing anything.
Halsey is no stranger to the feminist movement either. Frangipane attended the 2018 Women’s March where she recited her original poem, “A Story like Mine,” a happily-ever-after story about her youth.
Calling the poem emotional is definitely an understatement. The poem not only describes her story with sexual assault, but also gives a voice to women everywhere with similar stories that are too afraid to come forward.
My respect for Halsey has grown over the years. She went from being just another up and coming alt-pop artist to being a strong role model to young girls, amplifying the voices of women traumatized by a life of secrecy.