Halsey is a fucking phenomenon. When I went to see her earlier this year, in a 400 cap venue, I was floored thanks to the force of her fans adoration—singing every word and running around like little identikit Halseys—not to mention the then 20-year-old's swaggering onstage delivery. The girl has balls. And pipes. And a tumblr-pop savvy and style which makes her so desirable and so very now. And it's been quite the year. Newly 21 and riding the wave of her lately released debut album Badlands (get it here), we've been stalking her every move. Or at least we went on a first date with her and we observed the melee when she offered to cut her hair in a central London salon. (She too is newly shorn and doubley badass subsequently.) Above is the premiere of her behind the scenes video for "The New Americana"—the New Jersey-born singer's flagship tune."The whole idea of 'New Americana' is a whole generation who aren't afraid of anything," explains Halsey in the opening few frames before going deep on the meaning. It's not a song about smoking weed and listening to grunge, it's about the power of youth, the internet, speaking out, change, and much more besides. For the video she flew to Hawaii so the whole shebang has a cinematic Hunger Games-vibe as Halsey and her troupe are put through their paces.Below is the original video, just because…FYI Halsey plays The Late Show tomorrow.
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