Halsey struggles with death again and again in “The Great Imitator.”

• Halsey’s new album The great imitatorwhich was released on Friday, October 25th, is a meditation on mortality
• The theme plays a prominent role throughout the 18-track album
• Here we delve into the ways in which Halsey confronts her own mortality in the LP’s lyrics

Three years since their defiant statement album If I can’t have love, I want powerHalsey returned with me The great imitatortheir most ambitious – and fragile – undertaking yet.

Her latest album, released on Friday, October 25, is an 18-track foray into the celebrity-human dichotomy and her quest for survival while battling chronic illness (she revealed earlier this year that she had lupus SLE was diagnosed). and a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disease in 2022) and the possibility of death. It’s an album that combines Halsey’s penchant for dark humor with heartfelt moments of self-preservation, reflection on aging parents, and the search for love in the midst of illness.

Ahead of the release, Halsey, 30, impersonated the artists who inspired the album’s ideas – everyone from Stevie Nicks to Dolly Parton to Bruce Springsteen and Kate Bush. The great imitator is Halsey’s darkest and most expansive work. She plays with genres (pop-punk, experimental, hard rock, classic rock, ’90s R&B) and time in a way that reminds the listener why she is a pop innovator of the highest order.

Below, we learn how Halsey confronts her own mortality in the album’s lyrics.

“The only girl alive in LA”

Album opener “The Only Living Girl in LA” is a wistful ballad that showcases Halsey’s dark sense of humor but also exposes the pitfalls of fame that she struggles with as her priorities change in relation to her health postponed. “I wonder if I ever left my body behind (Ooh) / Do you think they’d laugh at the way I die? Or take a photo of my family in the lobby / The ceremony is small inside / ‘Cause I don’t know if I could sell out my own funeral (Ah-ah) / At least not at this point,” they wonder.

“Ego”

On the ’90s grunge pop-punk single “Ego,” Halsey struggles with her public and private personas. The pop star essentially fears that if she doesn’t keep her mental and physical health under control, it will consume her: “I’m walking along a razor-thin edge / And I wake up tired and think I’d be better off dead.”

“Dog years”

Inspired by PJ Harvey and featuring the throaty vocals of Fiona Apple, the haunting and dark “Dog Years” finds Halsey trying to maintain a sense of optimism and control despite her illness. “You know I’m looking for a reprieve / I didn’t ask to live, but dying is mine,” she growls.

“Letter to God (1974)”

In the first of Halsey’s decade-long interludes, they recall that as children they wished they were sick so their parents would pay attention to them. “Please, God, I want to be sick / I don’t want to hurt, so get it over with quickly / Please, God, I want to be loved,” they trill in a voicemail-like track.

“The End”

On the sparse first offering of The great imitatorHalsey expresses his frustration with the healthcare system while longing for someone to love them while they are sick. “When I met you I said I would never die / But the joke was always mine ’cause I’m racing against time,” she whispers and sings on the track.

“Letter to God (1983)”

With “Letter to God” (1983), Halsey channels Bruce Springsteen’s harsh plea for redemption as they ponder whether their childhood prayers of being sick have backfired at this stage in their lives. “I joke about the blood tests and plan my estate. / And I don’t want to blame the child, but I have to speculate. / If all this could just be an answer to late prayers,” she wonders.

“Hometown”

In the rural-tinged “Hometown,” Halsey remembers Dolly Parton as she recalls the death of a high school classmate — and how they don’t want to be just a memory: “Like the rest of my high school, everyone are sad.” Suburban ghosts / Trapped on a cross next to a highway while the rest of us grow old.

“I never loved you”

In “I Never Loved You,” Halsey recounts the aftermath of a devastating accident and compares it to the abandonment they experienced during the end of a toxic relationship: “So now you can take the money, you can get on a plane / To one Beautiful island, build a house in my name / You can donate all the money to someone in pain / And you can put your head to the side and not be ashamed.

“Darwinism”

A dark meditation on existentialism, “Darwinism” reflects Halsey’s innate fear of dying alone. “What if I’m just cosmic dust? / Put me in a metal box that’s bound to rust / Shoot me into space and let me burn / Return to Earth and just dissolve into its crust / Well, I was born all alone It’s not unlikely that I’ll die like that too ” , she sings with haunting vocals.

“The Life of a Spider (draft)”

In one of Halsey’s most harrowing pieces, they use the death of a spider as a metaphor for being trapped in a toxic relationship with someone who can’t cope with their illness. “I’m just small, I’m just weak / And you cringe at the sight of me / You’ll kill me when I least expect it / God, how could I even think of daring to exist? / Just looks like this “I’m hideous,” she laments.

“Happy”

In Halsey’s interpolation of Britney Spears’ 2000 classic, they reflect on the paradoxical nature of fame and share the loneliness they experienced while privately battling illness. Ultimately, she just wants to be seen. “When I die, I won’t have time to spend my money/
But I hope that you still love me,” Halsey sings with velvety vocals.

“Letter to God (1998)”

In the letter’s tapestry’s glittering final act, Halsey’s desperate plea for survival becomes an ode to her son Ender as she is confronted with the sick joke that her childhood wish has come true years later. “Please, God, oh, you must be sick / Why does it hurt you and why is it over so quickly? / Please God, I’m finally loved / I finally found someone I don’t want to get rid of,” they sing.

“The Great Imitator”

In the album’s title track and closer, Halsey’s playful – and dark – sense of humor comes to the fore as they reflect on their legacy and how audiences will remember them. “Does a story die with its teller? / Ah-ah / Surely she’ll be forgotten sooner or later / Ah-ah / I hope they write my name correctly in the newspaper?” she jokes.