Born as Ashley Nicolette Frangipan in 1994, Halsey has been taking over the music industry in the past couple of years. While her life seems glamorous and carefree, especially with her colorful haircuts, clothes, and new makeup line, Halsey has had a tough time growing up and even spent some time living on the streets. Get ready to read facts you didn’t know about her.
She was born to a mixed family. Her mother, who is a hospital worker, is Italian, Irish, and Hungarian. Her father, a manager in a car dealership, is African-American. She identifies as biracial and has spoken out about inequality. Her parents both dropped out of college when they learned her mother was pregnant with her. Halsey was a troubled teenager, and after high school, she spent a few years living in homeless shelters. She doesn’t regret her past and has said that the hard things she’s been through have inspired her music and lyrics.
You might not know that at first, she didn’t perform her own original music. Like many other youngsters, Halsey had a YouTube channel where she posted videos of herself covering other artists’ music. In 2012, she decided to cover Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble,” and the rest is history. She instantly became popular and has Swift to thank for her rise to fame. Today she regrets posting that video and has taken it down from the internet. Luckily for her, Swift forgave her and today the two are friends. Halsey even performed Taylor’s ‘Shake it Off’ with her at the 2019 American Music Awards.
She has also openly talked about her struggle with mental illness. When she was 17, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which she claims her mother also has. Halsey has since gotten it under control and says that performing really helps her manage her symptoms. She has also written about her mental health experiences in her 2020 album “Manic.” Like many other celebrities, Halsey has a lot of tattoos. Rumor has it that she has at least 29 of them. She even has a face tattoo, which means there’s no way she’ll be able to get a job anywhere but the entertainment industry.