Halsey reflects on success, struggles and life after album Manic

Halsey isn’t as close to releasing new music as she’d like, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

The “Closer” hitmaker implied that her record label is preventing her from working on a new album due to the commercial performance of her latest project, The Great Impersonator, which was released in October 2024.

“I can’t make an album right now — I’m not allowed to,” the singer told Zane Lowe in an Apple Music interview published on September 18.

“That’s the reality, because The Great Impersonator didn’t perform the way they thought it would.”

But Halsey (real name Ashley Nicolette Frangipane) defended the project, arguing that it was unrealistic to expect all her work to match the performance of her 2020 album Manic.

“To be honest with you, the album [The Great Impersonator] sold 100,000 copies in the first week,” she continued. “That’s a pretty big week, especially for an artist who hasn’t had a hit in a long time. The tour is the biggest-selling tour of my entire career, but they want Manic numbers… I can’t do that every time.”

The 30-year-old — who shares a 4-year-old son, Ender Ridley Aydin, with ex-partner Alev Aydin — went on to describe her past achievements as both a blessing and a curse, saying her recent releases were judged against “the context of the success I had before,” such as Billboard hits alongside Ariana Grande’s singles.

“That’s the hardest part of once being a pop star,” she said.

“Because I’m not anymore, but I’m compared to numbers and to people I don’t consider my equals.”

E! News contacted Columbia Records for comment but received no response.

Many songs on The Great Impersonator — a concept album blending multiple genres — appeared to be inspired by the singer’s health struggles, including diagnoses of lupus and a bone marrow disorder.

“Please, God, I don’t want to be sick,” she sang in Letter to God (1983). “And I don’t want to suffer, so end it quickly.”

Fortunately, Halsey revealed she has learned to better manage her conditions.

“After a rough start, I slowly got everything under control with the help of wonderful doctors,” she wrote on Instagram in June 2024.

“After two years, I feel better and I’m more grateful than ever to have music to come back to.”