Halsey Claims Label Is Blocking Her New Album After “Disappointing” Sales

Halsey announced in an Apple Music interview on September 19 that her record label is preventing her from releasing a new album after her latest project underperformed commercially.

Lead: Halsey revealed today on Apple Music that her label has barred her from producing another album because her 2024 release, The Great Impersonator, fell short of sales expectations despite healthy first-week numbers and a record-breaking tour.

Nut Graf: Speaking with Zane Lowe, the 30-year-old singer explained that although The Great Impersonator moved 100,000 units in its debut week and yielded her highest-grossing tour to date, her label still viewed it as a disappointment compared with her 2020 hit album Manic, prompting them to halt further album production.

Label Pushback on New Music

Halsey-born Ashley Nicolette Frangipane-stated plainly, “I can’t make an album right now, I’m not allowed to,” attributing the restriction to her label’s dissatisfaction with the latest record’s commercial performance.

Her team reportedly expected sales on par with Manic, which debuted higher on the charts, and considered anything less a shortfall. Halsey highlighted the challenge of meeting those benchmarks in today’s streaming-dominated market.

First-Week Sales and Tour Success

  • The Great Impersonator sold roughly 100,000 copies in its first week, a strong showing amid industry-wide declines in physical sales.
  • Halsey’s subsequent tour became the most lucrative of her career, underscoring robust fan support despite the label’s lukewarm response.

Industry Pressure and Artist Perspective

Halsey lamented the paradox of achieving personal milestones-strong sales and touring revenue-yet still falling under the shadow of past successes. She noted that continually matching or surpassing previous peaks is unsustainable and reinforced the emotional toll of being measured against earlier achievements.

Her candid remarks shed light on the broader tension between artistic momentum and corporate sales targets, illustrating the constraints artists face when commercial metrics override creative continuity.