The Great Impersonator

I wasn’t familiar with Halsey’s music until recently - when I saw a social media post of her dressed as Dolly Parton, with an announcement that she’d be “impersonating” an influential artist each day and teasing a snippet of the song they inspired until the release of her fifth studio album, The Great Impersonator. It was a brilliant strategy to generate interest, provide insight into what it would sound like and pay homage to musical icons that have had an impact on her life.

Neil Z. Yeung from AllMusic referred to the album as "an engrossing homage to the figures that made her into the artist…that she has become herself”, noting that it sees Halsey "mining her musical upbringing and honoring her myriad inspirations” to offer listeners a personal reflection on parenthood, mental and physical illness and mortality. The diverse musical genres and influences from the 18 legendary artists she honors creates what Kimberly Kapela from The Luna Collective describes as “a dynamic and unpredictable listening experience that keeps fans engaged with its many unexpected shifts in style”.

Here is my ranking of each song on the album, along with the daily pics and posts that Halsey shared on Instagram leading up to its release:

18 | Letter To God (1998) - Aaliyah

“queen baby girl Aaliyah”

17 | Lonely Is The Muse - Amy Lee

“AMY LEE my OG dark rock queen”

16 | Life Of The Spider - Tori Amos

“I grew up on Tori and have always considered her in a class of her own. This song, the most personal on the album, is just me and my piano. Because that’s all Tori ever needed to rip your heart to shreds.”

15 | Darwinism - David Bowie

“Ziggy Stardust, The Starman, The Thin White Duke, The Picasso of Pop, Major Tom, The Master of Reinvention and the Chameleon of Rock”

14 | Only Living Girl In LA - Marilyn Monroe

“For the final day, I am honoring the most impersonated woman in history. A woman who eventually had to impersonate herself, day after day, asking the question ‘Want to see me become her?’”

13 | I Believe In Magic - Linda Ronstadt

“LINDA RONSTADT. A tribute to her endless versatility, a true chameleon”

12 | Letter To God (1974) - Cher

“One of my favorite Cher songs, Dark Lady, was a number 1 hit in 1974. Still number 1 in my heart today”

11 | Dog Years - PJ Harvey

“One of my absolute favorite songs on the album, inspired by one of the most influential artists of my lifetime”

10 | Hurt Feelings - Badlands Halsey circa 2015

“The new album takes place across decades, so I feel it’s only right to honor the album I wrote a decade ago.”

9 | The Great Impersonator - Björk

“My first album with a title track. Influenced by the coolest, most ethereal being to ever exist.”

8 | Ego - Dolores O’Riordan

“Not much transformation necessary here, since I was basically born Dolores’ long lost daughter, but I couldn’t do the series without honoring this incredible woman”