Halsey released their fifth studio album on Oct. 25 and it’s an innovative concept album unlike anything that any pop artist in the mainstream is currently doing.

The Great Impersonator sees Halsey viewing her artistry through the lens of different pop decades, and it imagines what a Halsey debut would’ve looked like in those eras. The artist aptly describes it as a “Confessional Concept Album.”

While in a previous album titled “Manic” that explored what it meant to be Ashley [Halsey’s real name], this time around it feels like an exploration of what it means to be their alter-ego, Halsey.

The album experience feels like a peek inside Halsey’s mind and like excerpts from her personal journal. It is a huge creative swing with fun marketing that will hopefully pay off with commercial and critical success.

This album’s rollout has been exciting and unique to any other current artist’s release strategy. Halsey has taken to social media posting a track title, the artist inspiration behind it and a photo impersonation of the artist.

The marketing being timed to release closely with Halloween was a fitting choice and it has attracted many eyes to the new album.

In time this piece of work could land as Halsey’s magnus opus, and it feels like an artist’s final goodbye as they give the world everything they truly can give.

They have mentioned in interviews that there was a real fear of death from illness when crafting this album.

Halsey came to this album with the idea, “What if this was the last album I ever made,” and this is felt throughout the runtime as the music shifts between genres but remains a cohesive piece of standout artistry.

The Great Impersonator is an exciting addition to Halsey’s discography that combines elements from previous records and meshes with their most personal lyrics that they have ever written.

Halsey is an underrated writer, and this album is a great example of their excellent lyricism. They deserve to be in the conversation of the best writers working in the industry today.

This album comes off the heels of their grungy pop-rock album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, which was also a concept album.

Fans of Halsey thought they had seen them at their most vulnerable in the last album, where the singer delved into motherhood and childbirth with the music and accompanying film. 

However, it is in these newest songs that fans get an even closer look behind the curtain as the artist has dealt with several personal turmoil in recent years, which they are not shy about sharing here. 

Halsey has said in interviews that their health issues have brought them to the realization that the next album is not always promised. 

That is exactly the feeling the listener will get from this album; Halsey with a true sense of self and confidence in their ability. 

It’s remarkable the level of introspection that Halsey can reach in this sprawling concept of an album, and there may not be any other pop artist who can match that depth. 

The first song released from the album, “The End,” addresses many of Halsey’s health battles. 

This was a personal release with a solo songwriting credit for Halsey that is an acoustic piece focusing on their difficult health journey.