Halsey is no stranger to impersonation. The 2010s Tumblr darling, born Ashley Frangipane, has lived many lives in their decade-long career: from the blue-haired teenage-defiance of their debut record Badlands; the grandiosity of the Romeo and Juliet-inspired hopeless fountain kingdom; the emergence of Ashley on Manic and the Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross produced If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, which spun gothic, industrial-tinged tales about motherhood and expectation, their work has been a constant act of masking and unmasking. On their fifth record, The Great Impersonator, Halsey sifts through these different versions of themselves as they wonder if they would be proud of the person(s) they've been and may be leaving behind.
Halsey made The Great Impersonator in the limbo between life and death. The singer revealed earlier this year that they had been diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and a "rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder" in 2022. On this whopping 18-track album, Halsey challenges mortality as they come to terms with their illness and the possibility that this record could be their last.
In one of the more adventurous album rollouts of 2024, Halsey shared a series of visual impersonations in the weeks leading up to the album's release, embodying everyone from David Bowie to Björk to PJ Harvey to their Bandlands-era self. Aligning yourself with some of the most iconic musicians of all time could easily be seen as self-sabotage, but Halsey maintained that these were homages rather than attempts at mantle-taking; they have never claimed to be comparable to Joni Mitchell or Cher or Bruce Springsteen. Where some impersonations resonated more than others, it's clear that this series was done with reverence and gratitude, and the artists' impact can be gleaned through production tricks, vocal quirks and thematic similarities throughout The Great Impersonator.
The self-proclaimed problem child and difficult grown up is a sentiment that's been explored throughout Halsey's discography, and The Great Impersonator provides more insight into these themes through the lens of their illness. The record opens with the six-minute "The Only Living Girl in LA," where Halsey is facetious in the face of death. The second track "Ego" is a quintessential Halsey anthem, slotting in amongst "3am" and "Easier Than Lying" within their discography. The confident production and lyricism on "Ego" reveals a deeper level of insecurity and self-consciousness that isn't new to Halsey, but the track is further punctuated with a weariness as they agonize over their debilitating health and a career that feels out of control.
Some of the most interesting impersonations on the record can be found on the Stevie Nicks-inspired "Panic Attack." The groovy, "Dreams" inspired song taps into the tumult of a love that's detrimental to your health. Halsey channels Joni Mitchell (sort of) on first single "The End" — produced by Alex G, the song cushions Halsey's intimate vocals in delicate finger-picked acoustic guitar as they sing about wanting to be loved amidst their health struggles in a display of earnest vulnerability.
The "Letter to God" trilogy marks three different stages in the singer's life, with impersonations rooted in Cher, Bruce Springsteen and Aaliyah. While Cher and Aaliyah are more echoes than impersonations, the "I'm on Fire"-inspired "1983" is the most compelling of the three, as Halsey sings to a crowd of fans, their voice wobbling with emotion as they tell God that they "don't want to be somebody you're tryna get rid of."
Halsey's storytelling abilities are flexed throughout the record as they pay homage to the all-American hometown hero who died in a hotboxed car on the Dolly Parton-impersonatating "Hometown," and see themselves as the unwanted bathroom spider in Tori Amos-inspired "Life of the Spider (Draft)" with emotion-torn vocals not previously heard on a Halsey song.
"Hurt Feelings" finds Halsey embodying their younger self, but as opposed to recreating blue-haired, rising pop star Halsey, the singer channels an even younger version of themselves, one who would avert their gaze when their father would arrive home. Halsey reflects on watching their father grow old, a similar but opposite sentiment that they share on "I Believe in Magic" as they explore all of the nuances and intricacies that come with being sick while also having a young child, a perspective that has matured them and allowed them to understand and empathize with their mother.
Impersonation is a tall order, and the accuracy of the record's impersonations ebb and flow throughout the record. For tracks like "Darwinism," the Bowie-isms are primarily heard through instrumentation and lyrical quirks. "Dog Years" and "Arsonist" feel muddled amongst the record's stronger tracks. Additionally, Impersonator's tendency to teeter toward overproduction in order to capture their inspiration's essence, as well as a generous inclusion of muffled dialogue, disrupts the fantasy that Halsey creates.
Similarly to Manic, The Great Impersonator shines most when Halsey is unapologetically themselves. With all the honest, disarming lyricism of Manic and the confidence and sonic experimentation of IICHLIWP, The Great Impersonator is a general success for Halsey, an artist who has never shied from speaking their mind and sharing their truth, even from beneath layers of obfuscation.