The Great Impersonator is the fifth full-length studio album by Halsey. It is the follow-up album to their 2021 studio album, If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power and was released on October 25, 2024 through Columbia Records.
Background[]
On September 4, 2024, Halsey posted the album's cover art on Instagram and announced that pre-order for the album was now available and that the album will be released on October 25, 2024. In the album announcement post on Instagram, Halsey wrote:
"I made this record in the space between life and death. 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".
Halsey via Instagram [1]
On September 5, 2024, an email was sent by Spotify to Halsey's top fans on the streaming platform saying that in celebration of the album, Halsey has signed a limited number of vinyl inserts exclusively for her top fans on Spotify. The signed vinyl inserts were available until September 19, 2024 at 12:00 pm EDT or while supplies last.
On September 25, 2024, Halsey announced the album's official tracklist on her socials as well as new box sets for the album.
Cover art[]
The album's cover art was revealed on Halsey's social medias on September 4, 2024, along with the album's release date and pre-order. It features Halsey along with a yellow star on the upper left corner. If you zoom in on the star, the left side of the star has an A and the right side has a H possibly signifying that this is an album about or from the perspective of Ashley and Halsey, while the bottom half of the star reads the following:
"Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Behold the marvel of a century! Witness the uncanny ability of a woman who can become anyone, anything your heart desires. Friend, lover, foe. She transforms before your very eyes, her voice and visage a reflection of your deepest dreams and darkest fears but beware, for she is not just a master of disguise but a spirit of transformation, slipping between the cracks of reality. One moment a beloved friend, the next a shadowy nightmare. She is the queen of the uncanny, the mistress of metamorphosis. Beware of the great impersonator!"
Composition and themes[]
Musically, The Great Impersonator has been described as a pop, pop rock, and folk record that contains alternative rock, indie rock, emo, indie pop, ballad, and alternative pop songs. After being diagnosed with lupus and a lymphoproliferative (T-cell) disorder, the album contains reflections about topics such as Halsey’s own death, her life trauma, her parents, and how her child would carry on without her. This concept is put through the lens of how Halsey’s music would have sounded if she had debuted in the ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, or ’00s, incorporating numerous musical references from those eras.
Track listing[]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Only Living Girl in L.A." | Ashley Frangipane, Alexander Giannascoli, Dylan Wiggins, Michael Uzowuru | 6:15 | |
| 2. | "Ego" | Ashley Frangipane, Greg Kurstin, Greg Hein | Kurstin, Wyatt Bernard, Michael Uzowuru, Austin Corona | 3:18 |
| 3. | "Dog Years" | 4:04 | ||
| 4. | "Letter To God (1974)" | 2:12 | ||
| 5. | "Panic Attack" | 3:36 | ||
| 6. | "The End" | Frangipane | Frangipane, Alex G, Uzowuru | 3:17 |
| 7. | "I Believe In Magic" | 4:49 | ||
| 8. | "Letter To God (1983)" | 1:53 | ||
| 9. | "Hometown" | 3:24 | ||
| 10. | "I Never Loved You" | 4:10 | ||
| 11. | "Darwinism" | 3:45 | ||
| 12. | "Lonely is the Muse" | Frangipane, Stuart Price | Corona, Bernard, Brandon Buttner | 4:01 |
| 13. | "Arsonist" | 4:39 | ||
| 14. | "Life Of The Spider (Draft)" | 3:31 | ||
| 15. | "Hurt Feelings" | 3:55 | ||
| 16. | "Lucky" | Frangipane, Rhett Lawrence*, Travon Potts*, Alexander Kronlund*, Max Martin*, Rami*, Uzowuru | Uzowuru, RⱯHM ⚉, Sir Dylan | 3:18 |
| 17. | "Letter To God (1998)" | 2:50 | ||
| 18. | "The Great Impersonator" | 3:22 | ||
| Total length: | 63:19 | |||
| Japanese Edition[2] | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 19. | "Lucky" (Stripped) | 3:37 |
| 'Y2k' Digital Exclusive (and Digital Reissue Bonus Track) | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 19. | "Alice of the Upper Class" | 3:22 |
| '90s Digital Exclusive | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 19. | "Nothing" | 2:23 |
| '80s Digital Exclusive | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 19. | "Lessons" | 3:47 |
| '70s Digital Exclusive | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 19. | "Charades" | 3:39 |
| Digital Exclusive | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 19. | "Afraid of the Dark (Demo)" | 4:17 |
| Live Digital Exclusive | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 19. | "Lucky" (Stripped) | 3:37 |
| 20. | "Hometown" (Live from Vevo) | 2:56 |
| Vevo Live Digital Exclusive | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 19. | "Panic Attack" (Live from Vevo) | 3:36 |
| 20. | "Ego" (Live from Vevo) | 3:31 |
| 21. | "Lonely is the Muse" (Live from Vevo) | 4:04 |
- writers of interpolated samples.
Scrapped Songs[]
Countdown[]
Starting on October 7, 2024, Halsey released snippets of the songs on the album along with photos and videos of her dressed as different music artists. The artists she would dress as in the posts serve as the inspiration for the song that was teased that day. The songs and the artist that inspired them are listed below:
- October 7, 2024 (Day 1): "Hometown", Dolly Parton
- October 8, 2024 (Day 2): "Dog Years", PJ Harvey
- October 9, 2024 (Day 3): "I Never Loved You", Kate Bush
- October 10, 2024 (Day 4): "Letter to God (1974)", Cher
- October 11, 2024 (Day 5): "Darwinism", David Bowie
- October 12, 2024 (Day 6): "Lonely is the Muse", Amy Lee
- October 13, 2024 (Day 7): "Ego", Dolores O'Riordan
- October 14, 2024 (Day 8): "Panic Attack", Stevie Nicks
- October 15, 2024 (Day 9): "Letter to God (1983)", Bruce Springsteen
- October 16, 2024 (Day 10): "I Believe In Magic", Linda Ronstadt
- October 17, 2024 (Day 11): "Lucky", Britney Spears
- October 18, 2024 (Day 12): “Hurt Feelings”, recreation of the Badlands album cover
- October 19, 2024 (Day 13): “Letter to God (1998)”, Aaliyah Haughton
- October 20, 2024 (Day 14): “The End”, Joni Mitchell
- October 21, 2024 (Day 15): "Arsonist", Fiona Apple
- October 22, 2024 (Day 16): "Life Of The Spider (Draft)", Tori Amos
- October 23, 2024 (Day 17): “The Great Impersonator”, Björk
- October 24, 2024 (Day 18): "Only Living Girl in L.A.", Marilyn Monroe
Performances[]
On October 17, 2024, Halsey announced three album release performances to happen during the week of the album's release date. The album release shows are listed below:
| Date | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|
| October 25, 2024 | Brooklyn Paramount | Brooklyn, New York |
| October 27, 2024 | Stubb's Waller Creek Amphitheater | Austin, Texas |
| October 31, 2024 | Amazon Music Live | Los Angeles, California |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The only song to not receive a snippet during the album countdown was Only Living Girl in L.A.