Hear Halsey’s Propulsive, Nineties-Inspired Single ‘Ego’
Halsey has shared a new single, “Ego.” The guitar-driven song draws its inspiration from the Nineties, featuring anthemic vocals and a propulsive chorus that pays homage to bands like Garbage and No Doubt. The singer encouraged fans to “listen closely” to the song.
“I think that I should try to kill my ego,” Halsey howls on the track. “‘Cause if I don’t, my ego might kill me/ I’m all grown up but somehow lately/ I’m acting like a fucking baby/ I’m really not as happy as I seem.”
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Halsey also shared a music video for the song, which she wrote and directed. The musician also stars in the clip, playing both a husband and wife whose quiet dinner at homes turns into a cat-and-mouse chase, with each party trying to kill the other.
“Ego” is the latest offering from Halsey’s forthcoming album, The Great Impersonator, out Oct. 25. The singer played the song during a live show at KOKO in London in August, telling the crowd, “I’ve been teasing a new song for the past couple of days. You guys are the first people in the world to hear it. Lowkey even before some of the people who work at the label.”
Halsey announced the album’s release date and shared its cover art earlier this week. “I made this record in the space between life and death,” she wrote on social media. “And it feels like I’ve waited an eternity for you to have it. I’ll wait a bit longer. I’ve waited a decade, already.”
She also launched a scavenger hunt for fans to unveil the five different covers for the album. On Aug. 27, Halsey released the trailer for her “confessional concept album,” a nearly 90-second clip that explores how her music would’ve been perceived if it debuted in the 2000s, Nineties, Eighties, or Seventies. The Great Impersonator will use sound to travel through time.
“I really thought this album might be the last one I ever made. When you get sick like that, you start thinking about ways it could’ve all been different,” she said at the start of the video. “What if this isn’t how it all went down? 18-year-old Ashley becomes Halsey in 2014.”
Halsey, who released her last album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power three years ago, marked her return with“The End,” a song that traces her health struggles with Lupus SLE and a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder. The chilling track was also an ode to her fans. In July, Halsey released “Lucky,” a pop track that interpolates both Britney Spears‘ hit of the same name and Monica‘s “Angel of Mine,” followed by “Lonely Is the Muse,” in August, a dark pop track about how past lovers played a role in her self worth.
This story was updated at 4:08 p.m. ET with the music video for “Ego.”
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