Halsey is beginning a new album era with “The End,” a meditative acoustic track that follows their battle with illness.
With Alex G and Michael Uzowuru assisting in production, Halsey ruminates on the onset and subsequent depression resulting from their ailments, and finding safety and security in their partner. Throughout “The End,” Halsey narrates multiple trips to the doctor, feeling like “the end of the world” is nigh, and how “there’s poison in my brain and in my blood,” eventually ending the song by asking their partner “And I know it’s not the end of the world, but could you pick me up at 8?/ ‘Cause my treatment starts today.” Stream “The End” below.
After giving birth to their first child Ender in 2022, Halsey revealed on Instagram that they had experienced a myriad of health complications. “I was hospitalized for anaphylaxis a few times and had some other stuff going on. Basically, after seeing a like 100,000 doctors, I got diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Sjogren’s syndrome, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), [and] Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS),” they told their followers.
Now, it seems that Halsey is on the other side of their difficult battle with these illnesses, which seemed to have gotten significantly worse over the last two years — with the release of “The End,” Halsey is making a donation to both The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society as well as the Lupus Research Alliance. They also wrote a short note for their fans, alluding to their battle with illness, their strength to overcome it, and their impending new album:
“long story short, I’m Lucky to be alive.
short story long, I wrote an album.
it begins with The End. Out now.”
Halsey’s last album was the Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross-produced If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, which arrived in 2021 with a heavier sound than Halsey’s usual. Meanwhile, Halsey will make an appearance in the new X sequel MaXXXine, which is slated to arrive later this year.
Revisit our list of Halsey’s 10 Best Songs.
