With the release of her new album, Manic, ELLE Australia‘s December cover star Halsey is, in a sense, re-introducing herself to her fans.
Speaking to ELLE, the 25-year-old reflected on the fact she was essentially forced to define herself via her sound while she was still only a teenager. “People were like, ‘Okay, who are you?’ And I was like, ‘Uhhh, this is who I am… I guess?'”
While she by no means eschews that early work, she says it wasn’t a cemented sound to which she should be held – much like anything you did as a teen. “I’ve been watching my songwriting evolve. I’ve changed a lot.”
This evolution has applied to the singer’s aesthetic too. She says she’s stopped wearing wigs (at least for now), instead channelling her penchant for hypercolour into makeup looks that wouldn’t look out of place on an episode of Euphoria: think fresh skin punctuated with slicks of pigment, glitter and drawn-on flowers.
“I’ve evolved into a new way of being Halsey, which is still equally as colourful,” she says, adding wryly, “It’s just easier on my scalp.”
It’s clear Halsey is feeling comfortable enough to reveal herself. A shoot such as ours, decidedly pared-back when you consider the blue-haired Halsey of years past, might have been something she once baulked at.
But now her attitude has changed. “I feel very lucky to be able to look at those photos and feel good about myself. A couple of years ago, I don’t know if I would have felt that way.”
She adds, “I’ve waited for that moment my entire life and there I am, with the hair that my mother and father gave me and with [minimal] makeup on, in a way I’m proud of. To be cool with the world seeing me that way… that says a lot to me about how I’ve grown as a person. I feel really happy and peaceful.
Read more in the December 2019 issue of ELLE Australia, on sale now.
Halsey is photographed by Kai Z Feng, styled by Naomi Smith, hair by Florido, makeup by Denika Bedrossian and manicure by Marisa Carmichael. Interview and cover story by Elle McClure.
