The new era of pop has a fresh face. Halsey, born Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, describes herself via Twitter as “a mixed race, bisexual woman in a white male dominated industry.” On August 28, she released her debut album “Badlands”. The album earned favorable reviews from Rolling Stone, ANDPOP, and RedEye Chicago, while peaking at number two on the iTunes album chart.

“I really like the album because it has really pretty imagery,” said sophomore Ayanna Miller on the new album. Students on our campus and on campuses across the country are joining Halsey’s fast-growing legion of young super fans.

The songstress opens up the album with “Castle”, a feminist anthem expressing the difficulties of being a woman working her way to the top of the music industry. Throughout the album, her feminist views and hip hop influences make themselves present on songs like “New Americana” and “Ghost”, while exploring topics typically avoided by other artists such as sexuality, gender identity, and teen substance abuse.

Halsey is the Millennial pop queen. She represents a new generation of pop with heavy influences from 1990s artists like Biggie Smalls and Nirvana, while staying modern with vocals reminiscent of Lana Del Rey and production by electronic dance music artists Lido and Captain Cuts. On “New Americana”, Halsey chants the lines, “Raised on Biggie and Nirvana/We are the new americana”, showing that being raised on music that was meant to challenge authority helped her find her voice in her music. These odd, yet wonderful facets of her music blend together seamlessly to offer an ethereal, bubbly feeling, best experienced while driving with the windows down. Her music is extremely well-received by teens due to her relatable upbringing in middle-class America, as well as her writing style.

“Badlands” proves that Halsey is a force to be reckoned with, making critics and fans alike hungry for more, while they wait eagerly to see where she takes her career.