In the month of June, Halsey shared that they had written a follow-up to their Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross-produced 2021 album If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, led by an acoustic ballad called "The End," which the artist born Ashley Frangipane had written alongside Alex G. They likewise revealed that they had been diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as well as "a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder," back in 2022.
"I really thought this album would be the last one I ever made," Halsey now says in the trailer for their fifth studio LP, a "confessional concept album" entitled The Great Impersonator. "When you get sick like that, you start thinking about ways it could have all been different," the singer-songwriter continues. "What if this isn't how it all went down? 18-year-old Ashley becomes Halsey in 2014. What if I debuted in the early 2000s? The '90s? The '80s? The '70s?"
UPDATE (9/6, 4:05 p.m. ET): Halsey has now shared the release date and artwork for The Great Impersonator, as well as the '90s-inspired self-directed music video for new pop-punk-flavoured single "Ego."
"I made this record in the space between life and death," the artist wrote on social media. "And it feels like I've waited an eternity for you to have it. I'll wait a bit longer. I've waited a decade, already."
The 18-track record — which also features recent singles "Lonely Is the Muse," "Lucky" and "The End" — comes out on October 25 via Columbia Records. It's available for preorder here.
Throughout the album trailer, Halsey takes on different cosplay forms representing each of those eras — from David Bowie (soundtracked by most recently single "Lonely Is the Muse") to Britney Spears, whom they interpolate on previous 2024 release "Lucky."
They add in the clip, "I spent half my life being someone else. I never stopped to ask myself: If it all ended right now, is this the person you'd be proud to leave behind? Is it even you?"
No further details about The Great Impersonator's release have been provided, but according to Halsey's website, it will arrive sometime in 2024 via Columbia Records. Check out the trailer below.