Halsey: The Great Impersonator

October 25th. 

During lunch, I listened to as much as I could of The Great Impersonator, the latest album from Halsey in which she pays homage to those who’ve inspired her throughout her three decades on earth from the gravel-voiced Jersey boy to Iceland’s favorite swan-wearing artist. Not more than a few hours later I got the news no one wants; my dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. So I sat there, fighting back tears, and took more time than I would’ve to put into words just how good this album is. I then had to put this review on the back burner for over a month because between then and now I lost him. So it was hard to concentrate, especially given the basis of this utterly personal record from Halsey; a record in which she laments about not only facing death but doing so while being a parent. Would those songs have hit me that hard otherwise? Probably not, but I’d like to get back into things and do my own lamenting about an album that really feels special and not just because it dropped on a day I’ll never forget. 

There is often a discussion online about how the youths of today don’t know their pop culture history. Which, to be fair – where would they get it? They are no longer stuck with only basic cable, a limited amount of channels to entertain them for hours on end. So gone are Behind the Music marathons and countless hours of music videos from before they were born. Millennials are the last generation to care fully and appreciate what came before them, and that’s what Halsey pays homage to throughout this record that spans a lifetime in inspiration. With each song comes a tribute to an artist who has played some sort of role in her life and artistry whether it be the songwriting of Joni Mitchell or the pop star prowess of Britney Spears, and with each Halsey does her best to embody those artists. For the most part, I dug what she set out to do although I could have done without a few. 

Let’s start with the ones I’ve loved from the initial listen before my world took a turn and threw me off course for a bit. With “Lucky” being my absolute favorite Britney Spears song, there was no doubt I was going to love Halsey’s spin on it. This was actually the only song to really sample the artist instead of reimagining it. Yes, Halsey redid the song to be about her experience, but the tale remained the same; a famous girl tragically stuck in the limelight of it all. That leaned into the pop, but Halsey shows off a lot of genres throughout, and with rock, she pulled from The Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan for “Ego” AKA my 2024 theme song. Now, I would’ve guessed this was more a Warped Tour-coded track given its 2000’s mall punk vibes, but nevertheless – if you shopped in Hot Topic during that time – this one was tailor-made for you. Halsey’s vocals were perfection on the next few; “Panic Attack,” “Hometown,” and “Letter to God.” Side note about that last one, there are three letters on this record but I’m speaking particularly about the Bruce Springsteen-inspired one. With that, I’d love to hear Halsey go all in on an Americana record in the future. 

LIke I said, there were a few I just didn’t vibe with and I thought it was going to be the ones based around artists I just don’t like, like Springsteen. So obviously, the muse for each track didn’t matter because I loved that one. The same could not be said about “Letter to God” (based on Cher), “Arsonist” (where was the Aaliyah?), and “Darwinism” (my apologies to David Bowie). Perhaps the album should’ve been a solid 15-song long? But it does make me wonder if she has a part two in her somewhere that will allow her to explore other artists that have pushed her to where she is today.

November 27th 

The Great Impersonator allowed Halsey to open not only her record collection to the world, but also her heart and she dives into some insanely personal parts of her life; motherhood, illness, and the loss of loved ones along the way. There are plenty of records that come out a year but very few artists are that blunt about spinning their turmoil into something as lovely as this. Was it perfect? Again, there were moments I could’ve done without, but overall I would be proud of this if I were Halsey. 

As for my dad, I’m not sure he wrote any letters to God, but I’m sure if he did that night after my aunt called me with the news, he, like Halsey, was thinking of his kids because that’s what parents do, even when they’re heading towards the finish line.

Halsey The Great Impersonator
Release Date: October 25, 2024
Genre: All-You-Can-Eat
Reasons to Sing Along: “Ego,” “Panic Attack,” and “Letter to God (1983)”