Throughout the years, various music artists have shaped music to be what we know today. Whether they were the first of their time or broke ground in the music industry, music would not be what it is today without them. But, what if someone took various groundbreaking and influential artists as inspiration and turned it into an album itself? That’s what singer-songwriter Halsey did for her fifth studio album, “The Great Impersonator.” The album, which she released on October 25, 2024, took inspiration from artists ranging from Britney Spears, Dolly Parton and David Bowie to make an emotional and well-produced album. 

“There are musical surprises and delights that help mitigate the emotionally rough stuff. But who is anybody kidding — if you’ve got a whole box of Kleenex, bring it,” Chris Williams said for Variety. This perfectly describes the album.

 Before the release of this album on October 25, there were four pre-release singles. The first one was the song “Lucky,” which Halsey said was inspired by Britney Spears and, “The first superstar who ever inspired me,” Halsey said. The second pre-release single was “Lonely is the Muse,” inspired by Amy Lee. This single differed greatly from “Lucky” both in lyricism, theme and sound, which was the first indication of the diversity that would be seen on the album as a whole. The third pre-release single, “Ego,” inspired by Dolores O’Riordan, was more of a hit with her fans than the other singles thus far— most likely because of the sonic differences that can be heard between it and the past singles. Lastly, on October 10, 2024, Halsey released the final pre-release single, “I Never Loved You,” which she said is inspired by Kate Bush in an Instagram post on October 9, 2024.

Outside of the 4 pre-release singles, there are several album highlights within the other 14 tracks on the album. Some of these include songs such as “Panic Attack,” “The End,” and the title track “The Great Impersonator”. 

Firstly, track five on the album “Panic Attack” is an emotional song with a catchy chorus and melody, which will be stuck in your head forever once you listen to it. Inspired by Stevie Nicks, the song includes lyrical highlights, such as “Is it love or a panic attack?/Is a heavy heart too much to hold?/I don’t know, but it’s late, so I’m taking you home,” and “And I would love to love you/But my body’s keepin’ score/And I don’t know if I can see you anymore.” With a mid-tempo beat, the song alludes to her diagnosis with Lupus and T-cell disorder, by describing a woman whose mind is constantly occupied with staying alive and understanding the love that she is experiencing. 

Following this song on the tracklist is “The End,” a greatly emotional song, which Halsey said to be inspired by Joni Mitchell. Including lyrical highlights such as, “When I met you, I thought I was damaged goods/Had a fucked up childhood/And there’s poison in my brain and in my blood” and “We could sail on broken driftwood through the sopping wet terrain/And count the buildings and the bodies getting swallowed by the rain/And in the water, there’s the doctor who didn’t listen to my claim/What a shame, he’s circling a drain.” This song was released as Halsey’s first song back after dealing with the diagnosis of T-cell disorder and Lupus back in June 4. Not only is this a deeply emotional song describing many of the emotions that came along with her diagnosis, but it also encompasses what she felt meeting and falling in love with Avan Jogia, who is now her fiance. The song also has beautiful production that puts the lyrics at the forefront of the song. 

The song that encapsulates the entire album is the title track, “The Great Impersonator.” The song includes the lyric, “Does a story die with its narrator?/Ah-ah/Surely it’s forgotten soon or later/Ah-ah/Hope they spell my name right in the paper/Ah-ah/In here lies the great impersonator.” It truly represents what the entire album is because Halsey took the sounds of other artists from the past and, in some ways, impersonated them, while also writing about her own story. This is another song on the album with a more laid-back production, allowing the lyrics to tell the story. In this case, to say what the album is in itself. 

All 19 songs on this album are unique in their own way, but come together to form a cohesive and emotional album that will have you wanting to listen on repeat. Not only that, but the album debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 and shows immense growth in Halsey’s craft as not only a musician, but a songwriter.

Tracklist: 

Only Living Girl In LA 

Ego
Dog Years 

Letter to God (1974)

Panic Attack 

The End 

I Believe in Magic 

Letter to God (1983) 

Hometown 

I Never Loved You 

Darwinism 

Lonely is the Muse 

Arsonist 

Life of the Spider (Draft)

Hurt Feelings 

Lucky 

Letter to God (1998) 

The Great Impersonator