Multi-platinum, marquis singer-songwriter Halsey has already been awarded trophies from the Songwriters Hall of Fame and MTV Video Awards–to go with her four GRAMMY and American Music Awards nominations.
Prepare
Have the class read Halsey: Blazing a Trail to Center Stage (page 2 of the student edition). The article unveils the experiences, depth and dedication of the multi-layered pop star.
Key points in the article:
- Halsey was discovered via SoundCloud, when after a mere six hours on the streaming site, her song “Ghost” had charted on iTunes and five record labels had reached out to her
- Her style is everything from electro-pop, synth-pop, art pop, alternative pop
- Both her parents were “rockin'” when Halsey was a child, and she was greatly influenced by their consumption of MTV music
- She became a singer-songwriter because she needed her voice to be heard. Being just a writer wasn’t good enough
- Critics are often skeptical of her rise to fame, one writer calling her “a Millenial built in a lab”
- In response to criticisms, Halsey says, “The biggest lesson I learned was to make art, not headlines”
Review vocabulary words from the article below:
PREPOSTEROUS–contrary to reason or common sense; ridiculous
ECLECTIC–deriving ideas, style or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources
MAINSPRING–the principal spring in a watch, clock or other mecanism
CONSPICUOUSLY–in a clearly visible way
PRETENSION–a claim or the assertion of a claim to something
METTLE–a person’s ability to cope well with difficulties
FEROCITY–the state or quality of being extreme and unpleasant
ALLUDE–suggest or call attention to indirectly
Hear Halsey’s music in the videos below:
