ATP! Essential Listening: Halsey

If the killer indie-pop artist from New Jersey hasn’t already caught your ear, it’s about time you put her debut EP, Room 93, on repeat. Her darkly textured sound and the razor- sharp edge to her lyrics are more than enough to attract attention, but it’s one song in particular, “Ghost,” that has created a frenzy around Halsey. With a huge chorus and verses that feel like a punch in the gut, “Ghost” is certainly Halsey’s breakthrough track, and one that will not be forgotten anytime soon.


Without a doubt, Halsey will be compared to the likes of CHVRCHES and other similar artists, but there is a depth to her deceptively sweet vocals and a grittiness to her lyrics that are all her own. Though “Ghost” has already reached over two million plays on Spotify, the rest of Room 93 is just as fantastic, if not better. “Hurricane” proves how deep and dark Halsey is capable of reaching, sketching the outline of a wandering soul that no one dares to claim, and “Empty Gold” displays an innate feel for creating powerful choruses and bridges that are capable of settling into the listener’s bones.

The music videos for tracks on Room 93 are another testament to Halsey as an artist. The scenes are a little seedy and a lot real, with actors and actresses that genuinely look like everyday individuals. Room 93’s lyrics project the themes in Halsey’s music, particularly that of East Coast authenticity and blunt, slightly twisted, storytelling. Halsey, it appears, has started a storm.

- Words by Tori Mier