Manic

## Singles

1. "Without Me"
October 4, 2018
2. "Graveyard"
September 13, 2019
3. "You Should Be Sad"
January 10, 2020

***Manic***is the third full-length studio album by Halsey. It was announced in December 2018 and officially revealed on September 12, 2019. It was released on January 17, 2020 and is the follow-up to their 2017 studio album, *Hopeless Fountain Kingdom*. A deluxe version was released digitally on September 29, 2020.

The album's concept is being an album made "by Ashley for Halsey"-- Halsey's real self communicating with her music persona. Because of this concept, the album is also referred to as *A01*.

## Background

Halsey first announced that she began working on the follow-up album to *Badlands* and *Hopeless Fountain Kingdom* in December 2018. and stated that after writing and releasing "Without Me" "has made [her] approach music in a more fun way as I’ve always been so serious". However, she had also stated that the single would not be attached to any album.

In March 2019, Halsey announced that her third studio album would be released in 2019 and that she wanted it to be "perfect". She further said in the tweet that "writing this album has been a lesson in forgiving myself. In being proud of myself and kind to myself despite how much this world is designed to make you hate yourself. I hope when it’s finally in your hands it brings you that same peace. It’s not a quiet peace. It’s a loud one."

*Manic* was originally supposed to be an album that held more rebellious themes: The standalone rock single, "Nightmare" which was released on May 17, 2019, was originally intended to be the lead single from the album. A scene in the music video for "Nightmare" showed Halsey holding a newspaper reading "MANIC" and another scene where she holds a sign reading "H3 / A1 / 10--2019", with the actual day not shown, which some speculated as a hint that the album would be released in October 2019. However, it was later confirmed to be released on January 17, 2020.

During a question-and-answer session on August 7, 2019, she stated that the album is "less dystopian fantasy world" and that it reflects her current worldview. In her Rolling Stone cover story, Halsey stated that her upcoming record is a sampling of "hip-hop, rock, country, fucking everything — because it’s so manic. It’s soooooo manic. It’s literally just, like, whatever the fuck I felt like making; there was no reason I couldn’t make it".

She revealed the album title on her social media on September 12, 2019, along with an official link to a website with the album title. The website contained a livestream of the singer painting the album cover. The album was revealed to have 16 tracks. The next day on September 13, 2019 she released the album's second single, "Graveyard". She released "Clementine" on her birthday in promotion of the then-upcoming record.

Halsey later described the tone of the album in a series of tweets: She told fans on September 14, 2019 that the album "is not a pop album. [...] It's not an angry one. And thank God I sat down to write and realized I wasn't angry anymore. It feels good to have that eight off my chest." On September 16, 2019 she stated "how [she] sat down to make a dark mean album and found nothing but calm, introspective, acceptance in [her] heart."

On December 3, 2019 Halsey released the track listing for her third album. She released "Finally // Beautiful Stranger" and "Suga's Interlude" on December 6, 2019. Furthermore, on January 10, 2020, Halsey released the album's third and final single, "You Should Be Sad". The album was finally released a week later on January 17, 2020.

On September 29, 2020 Halsey released a digital deluxe version of the album that included the previously exclusive songs "Wipe Your Tears" and "I'm Not Mad". It also includes stripped, acoustic and remixed versions of the album's other songs.

### Cover art

While doing a make-up tutorial for her *Manic* eye look Halsey talked about the concept of the cover art:

"*When I was coming up with the concept for the album cover, the black eye was a really important part of it because I think a black eye is a universally recognized sign of pain, or trauma or abuse, I feel like everyone recognizes the black eye in that way. And the album is a lot about me outgrowing some traumas and some things that have been otherwise holding me back from feeling like I could really become myself in my early 20s. And being 25 and putting out an album was hard for me because I had a new perspective about my femininity, about my sexuality, about the things that I’ve been through. And as a result of that, what I felt like I earned, earned the right to say, earned the right to stand up for as a woman, had the space to say all of this on the album. So I did the black eye and I wanted to do it in glitter, kind of to take it something... Almost like a badge. A badge of honor for what I've been through and through the album cycle, the black eye goes from black glitter to red glitter. To red glitter to yellow glitter, which symbolizes the stages of healing that the bruise goes through. So hopefully in a year you will see me running around with a full face of yellow glitter instead.*"
—Halsey

She then further explained that the album has two cover artworks "the face", the official one, which is the Halsey version and an Ashley version. She released the Ashley version cover on January 20, 2020 and also put up a limited offer where she would sign orders as Ashley - something she's never done before.

"*I just thought it would be a really cool way of kinda having both versions of me; the Halsey signature on the flashy cover and the Ashley signature on the kind of dark, more personal one. I don’t know how many of you guys would be interested in something like this but you know, I’m gonna put a couple of them up and I just thin it would be a cool thing to do. So, go get them before I change my mind and think this is a terrible idea.*"
—Halsey

## Critical reception

On January 13, 2020 *Rolling Stone* published an early review of the album and called it an "excellent new album". In the review they praise how Haley "doesn't even come close to finding peace of mind" on this album but still manages to make it a "thrilling quest". They name "Finally // Beautiful Stranger" to be the album's "moment of bliss" and give the album a four out of five stars rating.

## Tour

The first installment of the tour was announced on September 23, 2019. The European of leg of the tour started on February 6, 2020 in Madrid, Spain and ended prematurely on March 12, 2020 in Manchester, England. The remainder of the European leg had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the North American leg of the tour was delayed until it was ultimately canceled as well.

## Track listing

### Cut Tracks

* "Nightmare"
* "Feel This Lonely"
* "French song"

## Singles

*All singles and promotional singles were released through Capitol Records.*

* "Without Me" was released as the lead single of the album on October 4, 2018.
* "Graveyard" was released as the second single of the album on September 13, 2019.
* "You Should Be Sad" was released as the third single on January 10, 2020.

### Promotional singles

* "Clementine" was released as a promotional single on September 29, 2019.
* "Finally // Beautiful Stranger" was released as another promotional single on December 6, 2019.
* "Suga's Interlude" was also released as a promotional single on December 6, 2019.

## Compilation EPs

*Main article: Manic Compilation EPs*
Halsey started releasing reissues of her album in the form of extended plays: The first EP, *Manic: Revenge EP*, was released on November 13, 2020 and the second EP, *Manic: Confessional EP*, on November 20, 2020. The third EP, *Manic: Is She Like, You Know...*, was released on December 4, 2020 and the fourth EP, *Manic:...Or Are You Normal*, was released on December 11, 2020.

## References

1. ↑ *CapitalFm* - "Jingle Bell Ball 2018: Halsey Teases Brand New ‘Fun’ Album For The Next Year"
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 *Manic Website* -"MANIC THE NEW ALBUM OUT JANUARY 17."
3. ↑ *Apple Music* - Manic
4. ↑ *Instagram* - "(Manic) - An Album by Ashley for Halsey"
5. ↑ *Capital FM* - "Jingle Bell Ball 2018: Halsey Teases Brand New ‘Fun’ Album For The Next Year"
6. ↑ *Pop Crush* - "Halsey’s New Song ‘Without Me’ Is ‘Not Attached to an Album’ (LISTEN)"
7. ↑ *YouTube* - "Halsey: 'Without Me' Interview | Apple Music"
8. ↑ *Billboard* - "Halsey Promises New Album Is Coming Later This Year: 'I Want it to Be Perfect'"
9. ↑ - @halsey - "Writing this album has been a lesson in forgiving myself. In being proud of myself and kind to myself despite how much this world is designed to make you hate yourself. I hope when it’s finally in your hands it brings you that same peace. It’s not a quiet peace. It’s a loud one."
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 *Billboard* - "Halsey Talks Her Third Album and Turning 25: 'It's a Miracle I Haven't Killed Myself Yet'"
11. ↑ *Billboard* - Halsey Is No 'Little Lady' in Badass New Single 'Nightmare': Listen.
12. ↑ *ABC* - "Halsey is releasing new music before Falls Festival
13. ↑  *Radio.com.* Retrieved September 12, 2019.
14. ↑ *RollingStone* - "Halsey A REBEL AT PEACE
15. ↑ *Twitter* - "manicthealbum.com 1:17PM PST"
16. ↑ *Apple Music* - Manic by Halsey
17. ↑ *Twitter* - @halsey - "I never said it’s a pop album. I just said it’s not an angry one. and thank god I sat down to write and realized I wasn’t angry anymore. it feels good to have that wait off my chest."
18. ↑ *Twitter* - @halsey - I talked to Zane about how I sat down to make a dark mean album and found nothing but calm, introspective, acceptance in my heart."
19. ↑ *Twitter* - @halsey - "January 17, 2020"
20. ↑ *Universal Music* - Manic (Deluxe)
21. ↑ *YouTube* - "Halsey's “Manic” Makeup Tutorial | Beauty Secrets | Vogue"
22. ↑ *Altpress* - "HALSEY RELEASES “ASHLEY VERSION” OF ‘MANIC’ COVER ART SIGNED WITH REAL NAME"
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 *Twitter* - @halsey - "“Halsey’s excellent new album Manic” - wow wow wow. Early review of the album is in and @robsheff can hear me loud and clear. Thank you @RollingStone! As for you guys, it’s in your hands in 4 days...
24. ↑ Disc 1 of the deluxe edition is the standard album.
25. ↑ *Twitter* - @spotify - "Q: there are songs that didn't make it to the album? and why? #AskHalsey"

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