An album is more than simply a selection of songs to Halsey; it’s a corpus of labor. This approach is more evident in her most recent album, Manic, which came out on January 17. It is the third album, but the first of its sort in the artist Ashley Frangipane’s discography delivers an album “created by Ashley for Halsey” across 16 songs.
It’s simple to understand how much care and fun she spent organizing Manic because the audio samples and interludes essentially act as chapter breaks. It’s a culmination of who she is at that particular time. She spoke about the album’s evolving purpose at the Grammy Museum back in September.
“I tried to be angry, and I was so calm and so happy and proud, and felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be. I sat down to make a list of things I didn’t like about myself because I thought it would help me make an angry album, and I wrote it and I cried. I read it and let some of my friends read it, and after writing it, I couldn’t find any anger at myself, I just found forgiveness. I looked at the list and said, some of these things are true, some are not. You may feel that way about yourself, but it’s okay, you’re going to be okay.”
Manic, a record about acceptance and changing feelings, is a perfect example of what was said. The record includes listening tips from the singer herself for fans. She tweeted a request two days before the release of her album: play the album in the order of the tracklist.
“Some songs go together. Halves of a whole. so when Manic is out, pls don’t skip ur excited asses to a random song,” she wrote.
I’m a firm believer that the first time you hear an album should be front to back and so that’s why I make them that way! Some songs go together. Halves of a whole. so when Manic is out, pls don’t skip ur excited asses to a random song. Just at least not on the first listen 😅
— h (@halsey) January 15, 2020