Just two months after her split with Capitol Records, Halsey has landed at Columbia Records.
The singer first signed with Astralwerks in 2013, an imprint with Capitol. All four of her studio albums released under Capitol Records—but now Halsey is starting a new chapter.
Columbia Records announced Halsey joined their roster on June 14, joining acts including Rosalia, the Kid Laroi, Harry Styles, Adele, Beyoncé, and many more. Halsey hinted about the new moves in a Tumblr post to her fans about a month and a half ago. “I know you want new music. I want you to know that I am hard at work. There were some restrictions I was under, for a lot longer than it seemed, but they are no longer in the way. I’m sure you can fill in the blanks,” the singer writes.
Halsey had a pretty public ‘falling out’ with Capitol Records after she made a TikTok claiming she couldn’t release new music unless she got a viral moment. As planned, that TikTok went viral. New music got released and the general public got a peek behind the curtain at how the music industry works—how the sausage is made. The manufactured moment even ruffled some industry feathers, according to Halsey.
In an interview with NME, Halsey said her younger brother told her of instances in which people were upset about her public statements. “Dude, why does your sister have to open her big mouth?” was one quote allegedly tossed his way about her decision. Others have expressed gratitude to her for speaking out—whether the moment was manufactured or not.
Halsey says her time spent building a brand on TikTok reminded her of the early years on Tumblr. “It reminded me quite a bit of how I started on Tumblr, using Tumblr as a way of cultivating a very specific creative brand and then once that brand is established, putting out music.”
Her last track released under Capitol Records was called “Die 4 Me” and dropped two weeks after that viral TikTok in which she complained she needed a viral moment.