MEGAN COURTNEY | Culture Editor
Known for speaking about past relationships in her songs, Halsey’s “Without Me” gives fans a different perspective.
In an interview with Zane Lowe’s “World Record” on Beats 1 Radio, Halsey said the single, released on Oct. 4, is not going to be part of a record.
It’s the first time that she’s written a song as herself, Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, and not as Halsey, her stage name.
Halsey also added in the interview that the song was not “protected” by a character, which is a reference to her past albums “Badlands” and “Hopeless Fountain Kingdom,” which are both concept records.
Even though it has not yet been confirmed, “Without Me” is rumored to be about her on-again off-again relationship with rapper G-Eazy. The two publicly announced their relationship in 2017 after G-Eazy’s video for “Him & I” was released, which features Halsey.
The song focuses on Halsey, and how she supported her partner through everything, despite how poorly she was treated. It’s a mix of both anger and empowerment.
A music video was released with the song, and almost perfectly follows it. It tells the story of Halsey and her love interest – often flipping back and forth between scenes of the two being perfectly happy and in love, followed by bouts of anger, fighting and yelling. There is a scene where Halsey attempts to leave her boyfriend, but he catches her and tries to take her money, indicating that he is controlling.
Toward the end of the video, the couple gets into a fight, and the police are called. The boyfriend is taken away, while Halsey walks away with her hands up in the air, an indication that she is free from both being arrested, and more importantly, the relationship.
Upon the video’s premier on YouTube, fans were quick to comment that the actor who plays Halsey’s boyfriend in the video looks a lot like G-Eazy, and some even speculated that G-Eazy was controlling in the relationship.
A few fans commented that they knew what it’s like to be in Halsey’s position, saying they are glad they escaped a toxic relationship.
“Without Me” is available on all music streaming platforms, and the video can be seen on YouTube by clicking here.
