We haven’t been this excited since the premiere of Roadies. Just a year and a half after releasing her most recent album, Manic, Halsey has announced the next era of her discography. Glitter eye shadow for everyone! Days after astute social-media users posted that numerous billboards have been plastered in major cities announcing a new album, Halsey confirmed on June 28 that If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power is its official title. A ten-second teaser signifies that Halsey’s sonic direction will be punk rock as opposed to her previous pop earworms, which makes sense, given that spooky cuties Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross served as producers. This fourth album also comes at a fulfilling time in Halsey’s personal life: She’s pregnant with her first child with screenwriter Alev Aydin, which comes after she suffered several miscarriages because of endometriosis. Now give us the release date (for both babies), woman!
Update, July 7: Halsey confirmed in an Instagram post that If I Can’t Love, I Want Power will be released on August 27. She also unveiled the album cover, which is influenced by pretty much all Renaissance-era imagery available at the Uffizi Gallery. “This album is a concept album about the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth,†she explained. “It was very important to me that the cover art conveyed the sentiment of my journey over the past few months. The dichotomy of the Madonna and the Whore. The idea that me as a sexual being and my body as a vessel and gift to my child are two concepts that can co-exist peacefully and powerfully. My body has belonged to the world in many different ways the past few years, and this image is my means of reclaiming my autonomy and establishing my pride and strength as a life force for my human being.â€
Halsey clarified that the cover image “celebrates pregnant and postpartum bodies as something beautiful, to be admired. We have a long way to go with eradicating the social stigma around bodies and breastfeeding. I hope this can be a step in the right direction!â€