Halsey used to be an underappreciated artist especially in 2015 when she released her debut album, “Badlands”. But when she lent her vocals for the Chainsmoker’s single “Closer”, people started to take notice. And since then, people found her somewhat difficult.
For starters, she refuses to be called a pop singer, preferring to be called an “alternative artist” instead. She complained that if Kendrick Lamar, a hip-hop artist, gets featured on a pop song, people don’t label him as a pop singer. “But I’m being called one, even though I’m inherently an alternative artist. I don’t know if it’s a male thing, I don’t know if it’s an urban thing. I don’t know what it is. But if you’re a female alternative artist and you do anything that’s even slightly pop leaning, it’s condemningit’s condemning.” Halsey is annoyed at how people mislabel her genre even though the entirety of her two albums contain pop-driven songs.
I don't care how I'm categorized. That part of the interview was just a discussion about genre & how females r more likely 2 get labeled pop
— h (@halsey) May 18, 2017
Although Halsey tries to justify her argument, it’s not like she’s making “alternative music” herself. With releases like “Bad at Love” Halsey is obviously crafting pop song unlike other female artists like Cardi B or Nicki Minaj. Halsey also acts like her music is important, even though she hasn’t reached major superstar status and acclaim. There isn’t anything special about Halsey’s music, but she often thinks her songs are revolutionary, going as far to compare herself to Amy Winehouse. She claims to be an original artist, even though most of her songs sound like any other generic pop song. She has also been called out about her songs sounding like other songs like “Ghosts” sounding similar to Taylor Swift’s “Red” and “New Americana” sounding like Lana Del Rey’s “National Anthem”.
"I look like a white girl, but I don’t feel like one. I’m a black woman." - @halsey pic.twitter.com/Bx1bKxPy60
— Allan (@AllanGabriiel) August 16, 2017
People also takes issue with Halsey being “fake deep” or “fake woke”, expressing her opinions on matter that isn’t really an issue. Earlier this year, she made a Twitter rant claiming that hotel shampoos are offensive and racist. On the infamous April tweet, Halsey says that hotel shampoos are a luxury that only caters to Caucasian hair. People called it a “failed attempt at trying to be woke”.
“I’ve been traveling for years now and it’s been so frustrating that the hotel toiletry industry entirely alienates people of color. I can’t use this perfumed watered down white people shampoo. Neither can 50% of ur customers. Annoying.”
How can u have lived ur entire life without knowing that people of color and white people require different hair care products. https://t.co/PGDtdReHTV
— h (@halsey) April 27, 2018
Halsey comes off as an annoying social justice warrior, advocating for topics such as race, LGBT, and mental health. She even labeled herself as “tri-bi” (biracial, bisexual, and bipolar). While this isn’t inherently a bad thing, she does come off as somewhat irksome and cringey. Though most people find her too much, the singer does have a huge following especially on Tumblr where her fans would defend the artist and her shenanigans if you come across them.