The Great Impersonator by Halsey: Album Review

Words by Paige Fulkerson

American singer-songwriter Ashley Frangipane, better known as Halsey, released their fifth studio album The Great Impersonator on October 25th, 2024. Halsey has been working on this album since her diagnosis of Lupus SLE and a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder in 2022, following the birth of her first son, Ender Aydin in 2021. As Halsey battled for her life against her chronic diseases, she found herself in a place between life and death, reflecting and relying on music as she went through treatment after treatment for her illnesses. Halsey took to X on October 26th to say: “underneath the costumes and the makeup, The Great Impersonator is an album about nakedness. I wrote each word with the confident terror of a person who might not see tomorrow. Nothing mattered and somehow everything did. It made me brave and it made me scared. I hope you love it.”

The Great Impersonator is exactly as it sounds. For their fifth studio album, they decided to make it an ode to all of those before her who had inspired her own musical journey. Throughout the album, Halsey impersonates 18 different iconic artists, making for an emotional and powerful time capsule of not only Halsey’s previous four albums but those who came before her. The album is a beautiful representation of Halsey’s progression within her discography and honors those who ultimately created Halsey. 

Halsey released not one but four cover variants for the album: a 70s, 80s, 90s, and Y2K cover, which can be found on her online store. Along with the cover variants, Halsey released recreated pictures of each impersonated artist to promote the songs before they came out, all photographed by Sarah Pardini.

Track 1: “Only Girl Living in LA” impersonating Marilyn Monroe

This song was a great ease into the album. Halsey sings not only about Monroe’s story but her own when thinking about her death. When reflecting on both Monroe’s story and Halsey’s lyrics within the song, we know that it is additionally a reflection of womanhood. The song turns more upbeat as Halsey harmonizes with herself in multiple layers of the song. At around the five-minute mark, the more than six-minute song drops and adds so much shock factor and depth, furthered by her son’s voice. I cannot imagine Halsey opening her already announced summer 2025 tour performing this song. Halsey might’ve been impersonating Marilyn Monroe, but she sure did turn the song into her own. The lyrics, the sound, the diversity… Halsey has always been a renowned artist, but this song really speaks to this.

Track 2: “Ego” impersonating Dolores O’Rirodan

Impersonating Irish lead vocalist and lyricist of the Cranberries, Dolores O’Rirodan, I thought this song was really fun. I really enjoyed how upbeat and fast-paced the song was. While not necessarily my favorite song off the album, it is the one I want to get up and dance to, along with “Lucky.”

Track 3: “Dog Years” impersonating PJ Harvey

Halsey impersonated 1990s singer Polly Jean Harvey, better known as PJ Harvey. This track is eccentric and the guitar paired with Halsey’s electric voice haunts this track. The song is sensual and intimidating. Halsey sings, “I’m not old, but I am tired. I’m one hundred ninety-six in dog years.” Halsey stated in a short series of videos posted to Instagram in June of 2024 that she feels like an “old lady” due to her chronic illnesses and the treatments that came with remission. Not only have fans teased this album since the beginning of summer, but they have also been insanely worried about Halsey and her health. “Dog Years” is a super new sound from Halsey, and I loved the creativity and artistic aspect of this song. It is a stand-out for sure but holds its weight in the album.

Track 4: “Letter To God (1974)” impersonating Cher

Halsey’s vocals are set below ominous white noise as people talk over her. Her voice echoes throughout the song as the instrumentals begin to pick up. Halsey reflects on a boy she went to school with who had leukemia at five and how she was jealous of the treatment he got for surviving. An honest and real feeling to have as a child. Halsey then sings, “please God, I wanna be saved, I don’t wanna have to let it go this way. Please God, I wanna be loved. I don’t wanna be somebody they want to get rid of.”

Track 5: “Panic Attack” impersonating Stevie Nicks

Out of all the tracks, the most undistinguishable was this song. There is no question who Halsey is impersonating on this track. Halsey catches Stevie Nicks’ sound so beautifully and so accurately, although so different from the music we’ve ever heard from Halsey. But the lyrics are what Halsey makes her own. Halsey sings about something so personal with such honesty on this track.

Track 6: “The End” impersonating Joni Mitchell

In the lyrics, Halsey refers to the chronic illnesses she was diagnosed with in 2022. This song especially alludes to Halsey’s reason for writing this album and how writing and listening to music helped her through her battle. Halsey gets so personal and bare with her audience and this track is a perfect example of that as she sings about how life and perspective change when you have a life-threatening illness.

Track 7: “I Believe in Magic” impersonating Linda Ronstadt

On this track, Halsey reflects on motherhood, referring to her experiences with motherhood and how it felt to meet her twin, Ender. I love that this song is almost directly sung to her son. The sweet melody is innocent, beautiful and generational. The chorus also reflects one’s struggles with religion and while not believing yourself, something so pure and beautiful comes and you still have to believe for them.

Track 8: “Letter To God (1983)” impersonating Bruce Springsteen

Halsey sports a new kind of voice on this track, surely impersonating Springsteen yet somehow making it her own. This song really highlights Halsey’s talent; the ability to pull off so many sounds, so many eras, so many different techniques and styles while making it her own.

Track 9: “Hometown” impersonating Dolly Parton

Halsey alludes to drug addiction in “Hometown” while encapsulating Dolly’s country sound. The song comes from Halsey’s hometown of Edison, New Jersey where she grew up with her two younger brothers, Sevian and Dante Frangipane. Halsey sings, “there ain’t a reason on this earth that I’d go back to my hometown” while reflecting on growing up in Jersey. To be honest, I did not think this track was a standout within the album, but as I listened to the album for the second and third time, I think it’s become one of my favorites. The song is catchy, confident, and really differs from all the other songs on the tracklist and I think that’s simply because of Dolly’s punchy country sound and memorable lyrics intertwining with Halsey’s alternative voice.

Track 10: “I Never Loved You” impersonating Kate Bush

This song is a perfect mix of Halsey’s Manic era and Kate Bush’s iconic 80s sound. Halsey sounds so effortlessly beautiful in the chorus of this song while the techno beat added towards the second half is cinematic. The layering of Halsey’s voice is almost religious; vocally this was my favorite song. I think the whole song is a masterpiece especially when accompanied by Halsey’s voice.

Track 11: “Darwinism” impersonating David Bowie

I do not doubt that this song will eventually be placed in a movie. The song is lyrical, artistic, and suspenseful. This song is haunting and theatrical, reminding me of the sounds we heard on their If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power album that came out about a year before her diagnosis.

Track 12: “Lonely is the Muse” impersonating Amy Lee

This song shows the harder rock side of Halsey’s music. As seen in previous songs, Halsey does have a rock sound but this song truly brings out her hard rock side. It’s exciting to hear something like this from Halsey, not including the fact that the impersonating pictures are almost uncanny.

Track 13: “Arsonist” impersonating Fiona Apple

“Arsonist” refers to an ex-relationship Halsey had with a narcissistic liar. The lyrics, “somebody will love me for the way that I’m designed. Devastated, creation intertwined. But you don’t love the flames, you just want them for yourself,” remind me of her hit single “Colors” from BADLANDS. Halsey sings in a conversational and metaphorical way as the beat of the song is reminiscent of Apple’s music.

Track 14: “Life of the Spider (Draft)” impersonating Tori Amos

I happened to listen to the album on Monday after the original release and I had seen people on social media saying this song was the most heartbreaking. I didn’t think that to be true. The song is so raw—it’s simply Halsey and her piano. The song sounds airy and almost acoustic. Halsey leaves the emotion in her voice in this song, you can feel her eyes swelling with tears as she sings. Halsey said she “barely got through ‘life of the spider’ which is why it’s listed as a “draft” I don’t think I could have done it as a complete production with multiple takes. Hopefully I’ll get over that before it’s time to play it live.” This explains the intense passion we can hear in Halsey’s voice as she sings this song. I love how honest not only this song is but how honest Halsey is with her fans.

Track 15: “Hurt Feelings” impersonating BADLANDS Halsey

I was most excited about this song as Halsey released her impersonator images. BADLANDS was released in 2015 as Halsey’s first studio album and boy was it influential. With their EP Room 93 coming out the previous year, Halsey’s music basically owned 2015. We are given the echoey sound once heard in BADLANDS and it is exciting to see Halsey reach back into this era of her life. While in an album cycle it may not seem as dramatic of a change but Halsey released BADLANDS at only 20 years old. 10 years later, the now 30-year-old retouched the sound of her 20s and you can truly hear her lyrical and vocal progression over time while she incorporates some of her newer sounds explored in this album. On X, Halsey said “hurt feelings is very 2009 to me. 2009 Ash was gearing up to become Halsey. Hurt Feelings is a song about a version of me right before I became Halsey. The version of me most often forgotten. Inner child gets work, Halsey gets work. The middle years get lost. I owe it to her.”

Track 16: “Lucky” impersonating Britney Spears 

Lucky was my favorite single to come out of this album. Much like Stevie Nicks’ song, there’s no speculation about who Halsey is impersonating. This era of Brittany Spears was so iconic and Spears’ sound is so distinct yet Halsey nailed the Y2K sound. The song is upbeat, 2000s, and Brittany. The lyrics at the end of the song are so honestly and deeply cut into this upbeat pop song. Halsey really created a masterpiece out of this one.

Track 17: “Letter To God (1998)” impersonating Aaliyah

This is Halsey’s third song on the album involving her son Ender’s voice. We can hear Ender saying that his favorite singer is “Mommy” in the last song of the “Letter To God” trilogy. This song alludes to her experiences with fame and anxiety. The pressures of fame can be a lot and many celebrities have been coming out about this recently such as Chappel Roan. Halsey sings this song to her son as well, singing: “stay at home all by my lonesome with my little baby boy. And I watch him on the kitchen floor, he playin’ with his toys, and I don’t ever wanna leave him, but I don’t think it’s my choice.” This song is particularly heartbreaking within Halsey’s struggle with being a single mother and fighting her illness. She faces death through her illness and takes to God to stay with her son.

Track 18: “The Great Impersonator” impersonating Bjork

This track begins light and fluffy, Halsey impersonating the amusing side of Bjork. Before the one-minute mark, the song is interrupted by a haunting bass riff. Honestly, I feel like so many parts of this song reach the BADLANDS and Room 93-era Halsey. Nonetheless, we hear a completely different yet fitting style for Halsey with unique vocals impersonating Bjork. The song is whimsical, yet Halsey sings the lyrics, “does a story die with its narrator? Surely it’s forgotten sooner or later. Hope they spell my name right in the paper. In here lies the great impersonator.” A surprising yet fitting song to end the album with. I truly love this track and all the emotion it holds. It has pessimistic lyrics with an opposing optimistic sound that makes for a beautifully artistic song.

The Great Impersonator by Halsey is surely one to listen to. While not prominently promoted by streaming services, it is fun to listen to the album knowing who Halsey is impersonating on each song. The album is pleasing and devastating at the same time. Halsey is one of the most creative and honest musicians of her lifetime and it’s been thrilling to watch her music progress with the events in her life. The singer has achieved and endured more in 30 years than many will in their whole lifetime and this album tells her story. I am excited for the summer 2025 tour to be announced and you can be sure to see me there. Halsey is a spectacle that never fails to put out a cinematic masterpiece of an album.