Halsey has described herself as an "in-between role model" and an "inconvenient woman", due to her music and style. She stated in 2017 that although she passes as white, she is a black woman and proud of her heritage. She was included on Forbes ' 30 Under 30 list, and appeared on the cover of magazines such as Billboard, Paper, and Playboy.
When speaking of Badlands, Billboard stated, "Halsey's larger-than-life vision combines the synthy darkness of Lorde, the neon-pop chutzpah of Miley Cyrus and the flickering film noir of Lana Del Rey ." Halsey's music focuses on her personal experiences and telling a story.
^ Halsey [@halsey] (June 20, 2018). "It literally IS a bisexual story" (Tweet) – via Twitter. ^ Caulfield, Keith (June 11, 2017). "Halsey Earns First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart With 'Hopeless Fountain Kingdom ' ". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 12, 2017.
She sparked controversy in 2016 after several fan interactions, some involving the artist kissing underage fans. In June 2017, Halsey received backlash for collaborating with Quavo, an artist who has made homophobic remarks. She stated she has never spoken to Quavo, and continued to say that she would not put "a lot of people" in her songs.
Halsey became most known for her signature dyed blue hair in her early career. She sparked controversy in 2016 after several fan interactions, some involving the artist kissing underage fans. In June 2017, Halsey received backlash for collaborating with Quavo, an artist who has made homophobic remarks.
Halsey's debut studio album, Badlands, was released on August 28, 2015. She described Badlands as a concept album about a dystopian future society known as "The Badlands", which was a metaphor for her mental state at the time, stating that each song meant something different to her.
In 2020, Billboard reported that Halsey has sold over one million albums and been streamed over six billion times in the United States.
In her early career, Halsey drew criticism for allegedly calling herself "tri-bi" in an interview, due to her being biracial, bipolar, and bisexual. In a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, she criticized the label as a trivializing way to describe her. Halsey became most known for her signature dyed blue hair in her early career. She sparked controversy in 2016 after several fan interactions, some involving the artist kissing underage fans.
Halsey released her debut studio album, Badlands, in 2015. It was certified Double Platinum by the RIAA, as were two of its tracks: " Colors " and " Gasoline ". In 2016, Halsey was featured on the Chainsmokers ' single " Closer ", which topped the charts in over ten countries.
Halsey began touring with The Kooks in August 2014 and performed various original songs. She released her debut extended play, Room 93, on October 27, 2014. The EP charted in the lower regions of the US Billboard 200 and at number three on the Top Heatseekers chart. She then began work on her debut studio album and performed songs from it at South by Southwest in 2015, where she was the most tweeted-about performer of the night. She embarked on a co-headlining tour with Young Rising Sons in March, and in June, she became the opening act for Imagine Dragons during the North American leg of their Smoke + Mirrors Tour (2015).
She is known as a pop, electro pop, synth- pop, art pop, alternative pop, R&B, and indie pop artist . The New York Times ' Jon Caramanica noted, "Halsey arrived as part of a slew of female pop rebels who emerged in the wake of Lorde 's early-2010s recalibration of the genre's operating hierarchies.".