Manic (Halsey album)
Manic is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Halsey. It was released on January 17, 2020, through Capitol Records. It was preceded by the release of three singles: "Without Me", "Graveyard" and "You Should Be Sad", with featured guest appearances by Dominic Fike, Alanis Morissette, and Suga. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the US, becoming Halsey's third top-two album on the chart and her biggest album debut in the country to date, selling 239,000 units in its first week.[1]
Manic
January 17, 2020
August 2018–August 2019
47:36
- Halsey
- Alex Young
- Andrew Jackson
- Benny Blanco
- Cashmere Cat
- Duck Blackwell
- Fred
- Greg Kurstin
- Jasper Sheff
- John Cunningham
- Jon Bellion
- Lido
- Louis Bell
- The Monsters & Strangerz
- Ojivolta
- Pdogg
- Suga
Manic was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), becoming the first album released in 2020 to achieve this.[2] Music production was handled by Halsey, Benny Blanco, Cashmere Cat, Finneas, Greg Kurstin, Jon Bellion, Lido, and Louis Bell, among others. Primarily a pop record, Manic also draws influences from electropop, hip hop, alternative rock, country, K-pop, and R&B. Halsey described the album as changing its mind as much as she does.[3] To promote the album, Halsey embarked on her third concert tour, the Manic World Tour, but after 17 shows it was postponed and then cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4][5]
Background and sound[edit]
On October 4, 2018, Halsey released the song "Without Me", her first solo material since her second studio album Hopeless Fountain Kingdom, released in 2017.[6] Originally, the song was intended as a standalone track,[7] but was later included on the record, becoming the actual lead single. In March 2019, Halsey announced that her third studio album would be released in 2020 and that she wanted it to be "perfect".[8] The standalone single, "Nightmare", released on May 17, 2019, was originally intended to be the lead single from the album.[9][10][11] A scene in the music video for "Nightmare" showed Halsey holding a newspaper reading "MANIC" and another scene where she holds a sign reading "H3 / AI / 10--2019", with the actual day not shown, which some speculated as a hint that the album would be released in October 2019.[12] However, it was released on January 17, 2020.
During a question-and-answer session on August 7, 2019, she stated that the album is "less dystopian fantasy world" and that it reflects her current worldview.[13] In her Rolling Stone cover story, Halsey stated that Manic is a sampling of "hip-hop, rock, country, fucking everything—because it's so manic. It's soooooo manic. It's literally just, like, whatever the fuck I felt like making; there was no reason I couldn't make it".[14]
She revealed the album title on her social media on September 12, 2019, along with an official link to a website with the album title.[15] The website contained a livestream of the singer painting the album cover.[16] The album has 16 tracks on the standard edition.[17]
She revealed the tracklist on December 3, 2019, and went live on Instagram shortly after to discuss the album and answer fan questions. During the live, she stated that the album is very personal in which saying, "I feel like you guys have really given me the chance this year to express myself more and be myself in a way that I don't know if I’ve really felt like I have been able to since my first album". She also stated that fans would get to meet a part of her that she's been really excited to show. When asked what her favorite song is, she said that the most personal one is "More", and not being able to pick just one, she listed some of her favorites which include, "I Hate Everybody", "929", "Killing Boys", and "Dominic's Interlude". The album was revealed to have three features including Dominic Fike, Alanis Morissette, and Suga of BTS. Halsey described them as "People who really represent different parts of my psyche and different parts of my personality in so many different ways".
Manic is a "busy album"[18] and a "raw and honest look into Halsey's head and heart",[19] on which she explores many genres, including "electro-pop, sparkly ballads, hip-hop, twang, and '90s alt rock"[20] and "everything from Lilith Fair folk guitar to South Korean rap".[21] Lyrically, it deals with the singer's struggles with bipolar disorder (previously known as manic depression).[22]
On September 29, 2020, the Expanded Edition of Manic was released in honor of Halsey's birthday. The expanded version features the 16 songs on the original version as well as the deluxe limited edition songs "Wipe Your Tears" and "I'm Not Mad", Halsey's "Be Kind" collaboration with Marshmello, the Juice Wrld and Illenium remixes of "Without Me", the acoustic versions of "Graveyard" and "You Should Be Sad", and stripped versions of "Alanis' Interlude", "Without Me", "Graveyard", and "3AM".