If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Halsey, released on August 27, 2021, by Capitol Records. It written by Halsey, Johnathan Cunningham, Greg Kurstin, and its producers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Halsey described the project as "a concept album about the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth".
The cover artwork of If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power was inspired by artistic depictions of Mary, mother of Jesus. A theatrical film directed by American filmmaker Colin Tilley, titled after the album and featuring its music, screened in select IMAX cinemas around the world on August 25 and 26, 2021, leading up to the album release. If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power is an alternative rock, grunge-pop, and pop punk effort with heavy industrial influence, driven by clattering drums, fuzzy guitars and cinematic textures. Its lyrics center on femininist themes, such as addressing patriarchy and institutional misogyny. The album has received critical acclaim, with emphasis on its ambitious concept and theatrical production.
Background
American singer-songwriter Halsey released her third studio album, Manic, on January 17, 2020. It included the successful single, "Without Me" (2018), the second Billboard Hot 100 number-one song of Halsey's career. She contributed to the Birds of Prey soundtrack, titled "Experiment on Me", which is a nu-metal track produced by Oliver Sykes and Jordan Fish from the British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. She released collaborative songs with other artists in 2020, such as Kelsea Ballerini's "The Other Girl", Juice Wrld's "Life's a Mess", and Machine Gun Kelly's "Forget Me Too". Halsey was slated to embark on her third concert tour, titled Manic World Tour, in 2020, but after postponing and rescheduling many dates due to the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tour was announced cancelled on January 23, 2021. She also announced her first pregnancy, with American screenwriter Alev Aydin, after suffering many miscarriages due to endometriosis and undergoing a surgery in 2017.
On June 28, 2021, numerous billboards went up across major cities of the United States, announcing the fourth studio album by Halsey, titled If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power. The singer confirmed it herself through her social media accounts on the same day. Together with the announcement, she also previewed one of the tracks from the album. It was also revealed that the album was produced by American musician Trent Reznor and English musician Atticus Ross, members of American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. In a short teaser video, Halsey hinted at the album's punk rock sound. On July 7, 2021, Halsey unveiled the cover art and announced that If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power would be released on August 27, 2021. Halsey gave birth to her child, Ender Ridley Aydin, on July 14, 2021.If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Halsey, released on August 27, 2021, by Capitol Records. It written by Halsey, Johnathan Cunningham, Greg Kurstin, and its producers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Halsey described the project as "a concept album about the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth".
The cover artwork of If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power was inspired by artistic depictions of Mary, mother of Jesus. A theatrical film directed by American filmmaker Colin Tilley, titled after the album and featuring its music, screened in select IMAX cinemas around the world on August 25 and 26, 2021, leading up to the album release. If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power is an alternative rock, grunge-pop, and pop punk effort with heavy industrial influence, driven by clattering drums, fuzzy guitars and cinematic textures. Its lyrics center on femininist themes, such as addressing patriarchy and institutional misogyny. The album has received critical acclaim, with emphasis on its ambitious concept and theatrical production.
Background
American singer-songwriter Halsey released her third studio album, Manic, on January 17, 2020. It included the successful single, "Without Me" (2018), the second Billboard Hot 100 number-one song of Halsey's career. She contributed to the Birds of Prey soundtrack, titled "Experiment on Me", which is a nu-metal track produced by Oliver Sykes and Jordan Fish from the British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. She released collaborative songs with other artists in 2020, such as Kelsea Ballerini's "The Other Girl", Juice Wrld's "Life's a Mess", and Machine Gun Kelly's "Forget Me Too". Halsey was slated to embark on her third concert tour, titled Manic World Tour, in 2020, but after postponing and rescheduling many dates due to the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tour was announced cancelled on January 23, 2021. She also announced her first pregnancy, with American screenwriter Alev Aydin, after suffering many miscarriages due to endometriosis and undergoing a surgery in 2017.
On June 28, 2021, numerous billboards went up across major cities of the United States, announcing the fourth studio album by Halsey, titled If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power. The singer confirmed it herself through her social media accounts on the same day. Together with the announcement, she also previewed one of the tracks from the album. It was also revealed that the album was produced by American musician Trent Reznor and English musician Atticus Ross, members of American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. In a short teaser video, Halsey hinted at the album's punk rock sound. On July 7, 2021, Halsey unveiled the cover art and announced that If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power would be released on August 27, 2021. Halsey gave birth to her child, Ender Ridley Aydin, on July 14, 2021.false2022-11-08 16:06:18If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power820222022-08-312022-08-3163Alternative PopElectronicPopRock138966236921948275d94-219c-4aff-b5d7-c14508dfb5b43377f3bb-60fc-4403-aea9-7e800612e060798e5814-9f96-46b2-a72a-408d67267661HalseyAlbumArtist/config/metadata/People/H/Halsey/folder.jpgHalseyArtist/config/metadata/People/H/Halsey/folder.jpgHalseyHalseyAshley Nicolette Frangipane (IPA: FRAN-jih-PAH-nee; born September 29, 1994), known professionally as Halsey ( HAWL-zee), is an American singer and songwriter. Halsey was born and raised in New Jersey. Gaining attention from self-released music on social media platforms, she was signed by Astralwerks in 2014 and released her debut EP, Room 93, later that year. She released her debut studio album, Badlands, in 2015. The album was later certified Double Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), as were its tracks "Colors" and "Gasoline".
In 2016, Halsey was featured on The Chainsmokers' single "Closer", which topped the charts in over 10 countries, and was later certified 14× Platinum by the RIAA. Her second studio album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (2017), consisted of more "radio-friendly" music than her previous releases; its singles "Now or Never" and "Bad at Love", both reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, with the latter peaking in the top five. In 2018, she released the single "Eastside" alongside Benny Blanco and Khalid, which reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100. That same year, she was moved to Capitol Records.
Halsey's third studio album, Manic (2020), became her best selling album worldwide, while its lead single "Without Me" became her most successful single as a lead artist. Her fourth studio album, If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power (2021), moved away from her previous sound in favor of a darker industrial sound; described by Halsey as "the album [she] always wanted to make", it was produced by Nine Inch Nails members Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and received generally positive reviews. In 2023, Halsey left Capitol, following a controversy surrounding the release of the non-album single "So Good" the previous year.In 2020, Billboard reported that Halsey has sold over 1 million albums and received over 6 billion streams in the United States. She is noted for her distinctive singing voice. Her awards include three Billboard Music Awards, as well as a Billboard Women in Music Award, an American Music Award, one GLAAD Media Award, an MTV Video Music Award, and nominations for three Grammy Awards. Halsey was named Songwriter of the Year by BMI Film & TV Awards in 2021. She was also included on Time's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2020. Aside from music, she has been involved in suicide prevention awareness, sexual assault victim advocacy, and racial justice protests.