Singer Halsey: “You’re the Madonna or the Whore”

Singer Halsey
“You are the Madonna or the whore”

After the birth of their son Ender Ridley Aydin in July, Halsey’s fans probably didn’t expect a new album just a month later. The announcement of “If I can’t have love I want power” came as a surprise via Instagram: No singles were published in advance, and Halsey completely dispensed with interviews or promotions. Contrary to the expectations of those around you, it is not about the blessings of the pregnancy or the anticipation of the baby. In an interview with Zane Lowe of Apple Music, Halsey talks about the social pressures of a pregnant woman that shape the album.

Halsey: Therapy and Nightmares

Halsey said he was in therapy before and during pregnancy. Because of her bipolar disorder, she decided twice in the past to have her illness treated in a psychiatric institution. In an interview with Zane Lowe, she talks about the anxiety and nightmares that haunted her during pregnancy. Halsey dreamed of waking up in a huge pool of blood and losing her baby. After her public miscarriage, which she suffered on stage during a performance, she feared the repetition of this traumatic event. Because the singer had to endure recurring, prolonged periods of depression due to her illness, she could not believe her sudden happiness of pregnancy. She was therefore constantly afraid of negative strokes of fate. Their inner conflict are the driving force behind the album, which differs significantly from their previous pop music.

She carries her inner states out through her songs. The album’s sinister and rocky alignment reflects her fear and anger, although privately she is in a happy relationship with screenwriter Alev Aydin. Your anger is not directed against your private life, but against the social expectations of pregnant women. Because she identifies with so many things that cannot be reconciled with motherhood.

“You are the Madonna or the whore”

Halsey has been campaigning for feminist values ​​since the beginning of her career and clearly communicates her right to self-determination and sexual freedom in interviews and her previous songs, such as “Nightmare”. She dislikes thinking in social categories. In an interview with Apple Music, she describes that women in society would still be classified in two social categories: “You are the Madonna or the whore.” Because if you have sexual desire, you are unsuitable for the mother role. But if a woman shows motherliness, she is “unfuckable” from the point of view of society. She would like to contradict this view in her music film for the album. In a narrative coherent story, the suffering of a pregnant queen is portrayed who is exposed to the conflicts mentioned. In the lead role of the film? The pregnant Halsey, between physicality and childbirth.

Too young or bitter

Halsey has now become a mother at the age of 26. Many would still treat her as a “teen mom” and question her future career, she tells Zane Lowe. She goes on to say that later pregnancy would also be considered “wrong” by society. Because then you would have put your career above your family and would be considered bitter and alone. This social paradox was also the driving force behind songs like “You asked for this” or “The Tradition”.

Source used: Youtube.com

This article originally appeared on Gala.de.