Halsey has shared the artwork for their upcoming new album, explaining that the cover “celebrates pregnant and postpartum bodies as something beautiful”.
The pop star’s fourth studio effort, ‘If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power’, was produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, as announced late last month (June 28). It is said to be the star’s “punk rock” record.
Taking to Instagram today (July 7), Halsey confirmed that the follow-up to 2020’s ‘Manic’ will arrive on August 27. She also revealed the official cover for the record with a short film, which was shot at New York’s Metropolitan Museum Of Art.
The singer subsequently posted the final image to social media while opening up further about their upcoming “concept album”.
“This album is a concept album about the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth,” she wrote in the caption. “It was very important to me that the cover art conveyed the sentiment of my journey over the past few months. The dichotomy of the Madonna and the Whore.
“The idea that me as a sexual being and my body as a vessel and gift to my child are two concepts that can co-exist peacefully and powerfully. My body has belonged to the world in many different ways the past few years, and this image is my means of reclaiming my autonomy and establishing my pride and strength as a life force for my human being.”
Halsey continued by explaining that the artwork “celebrates pregnant and postpartum bodies as something beautiful, to be admired”, adding: “We have a long way to go with eradicating the social stigma around bodies & breastfeeding. I hope this can be a step in the right direction!”
You can see the cover in the post below:
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In a four-star review of last year’s ‘Manic’, NME said: “This album is very much a document of her life, her love, her pain, her hope, presented with all barriers down. The musician’s previous concepts have both been compelling in themselves but, by stripping back the stories to their very personal core, Halsey has made a record that is as thrilling as it is vulnerable, and her best effort yet.”
Back in March, Halsey announced that her pronouns are now she/they.
“The inclusion of ‘they’, in addition to ‘she’, feels most authentic to me,” she told her fans at the time. “If you know me at all you know what it means to me to express this outwardly. Thanks for being the best.”