The Great Impersonator

The Great Impersonator arrived on October 25, 2024, as Halsey's fifth studio album and first release under Columbia Records after leaving Capitol. Recorded between 2022 and 2024 at Electric Lady Studios in New York City, the album was shaped by an intensely personal period: Halsey had been diagnosed with Lupus SLE and a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder, and approached the project as if it might be their final statement. That existential weight seeps into every corner of the record, which runs 66 minutes across 18 tracks on the standard edition.

Musically, the album is a deliberate time capsule. Halsey channels 70s folk, 80s power ballads, 90s alt-rock, and 2000s pop, with each song paying homage to a specific artist or era. The marketing campaign leaned hard into this concept: Halsey impersonated David Bowie, Kate Bush, Aaliyah, Cher, Bjork, Fiona Apple, Annie Lennox, Joni Mitchell, PJ Harvey, and Bruce Springsteen in promotional photos. Tracks like "Ego" take direct cues from PJ Harvey, while "Hometown" nods to Dolly Parton with a Springsteen-like sweep. The lead single "The End" is an unplugged folk ballad co-produced by Alex G and Michael Uzowuru that openly addresses Halsey's health battles.

Production credits read like a who's who of indie and pop: Alex G, Greg Kurstin, Emile Haynie, Michael Uzowuru, Dylan Wiggins, and many others. Halsey also co-produced throughout. In September 2024, Halsey told Apple Music's Zane Lowe that the album "didn't perform the way they wanted it to," hinting at commercial disappointment. A deluxe edition arrived on May 1, 2026, adding seven previously digital-only tracks, including "Carry the Weight" and "Lucid," both debuted on the For My Last Trick Tour. [edit]