Halsey flaunts her acting chops in a royal IMAX experience
Los Angeles, California – Halsey's IMAX experience for her upcoming album was bizarre, gory, powerful, and wonderful – all at the same time.
When it comes to Halsey and her creative endeavors, nothing is off the table.
The visionary behind the one-day-only IMAX theater supplement for her upcoming album, If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, left no stone unturned in a storyline that couldn't feel any more contrasting to the album itself.
The 53-minute digital experience was something no fan or foe of Halsey's could appropriately prepare for.
Rather than being one long music video for the entire album, the IMAX experience felt more like an actual film.
Its plot line ends with quite the twist, especially when compared to the album's title itself.
The film experience begins with Halsey playing the character of a queen who has married into royalty, and is greatly disliked by her husband, the king's, entourage.
When the king is found dead, rumors swirl whether Halsey's character, the queen, had a hand in his death – which she most certainly did.
The album provides the sonic backdrop for every scene. Despite the music's modern sound being vastly different from the film's time period, it gives fans a first listen of the artist's regal musical masterpiece.
Halsey displays sonic growth and her inner rock God
If one thing's for certain, the album does not disappoint.
It's clear from the film's first track that Halsey has continued to evolve, growing not only as an artist, but also personally as she's entered a new phase of her life with motherhood.
Overall, the music itself has a rocker vibe that is clearly produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine-Inch Nails.
Though the rock-and-roll meets techno beat of the album doesn't totally match the film's vibe, it doesn't take away from the rich cinematic experience and exceptional plot line at the heart of the film.
With witches, evil spirits, and an unknown baby on the way, Halsey's character navigates life as the queen after the king's death.
After she wanders away from the palace and into the woods, the queen stumbles upon a makeshift home made of sticks and lets herself inside.
There, she meets a blind woman who appears to have a spiritual connection with the other side. The mystic begins pre-emptively prepping the queen for childbirth with moans and timed breathing, despite the fact Queen Halsey was unaware she was even pregnant.
In a struggle for power, Halsey stands up to her royal haters, who inevitably call her a disgrace and embarrassment to the throne.
As the drama unfolds, Halsey sings about the things she would, and wouldn't do, for love and power.
Her fourth studio album, which nobly served as the backdrop to the unique cinematic experience, officially drops on Friday, August 27.
Cover photo: Collage: screenshot / Instagram / iamhalsey