Halsey says their label won't let them release new music unless they go viral on TikTok

23 May 2022, 12:07

Halsey opens up about their label struggles in emotional Instagram live

By Sam Prance

Halsey's video has currently been viewed over 7.5 million times on TikTok alone.

Halsey has posted a candid video calling out their label for refusing to let them release music unless they go viral on TikTok.

You don't have to be a Halsey fan to know that she is one of the biggest artists in the world today. Halsey currently has over 37 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone. From Number 1 singles like 'Without Me' and 'Closer' to critically-acclaimed albums like Manic and If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power, most stars dream of having a fraction of Halsey's success.

However, in spite of everything that Halsey has achieved, their label is now blocking them from releasing their new single

READ MORE: Halsey claps back at people saying they look "too thin" and "unhealthy"

Taking to TikTok yesterday (May 22), Halsey wrote the caption, "I’m tired," alongside a video in which she films herself looking defeated. In the video, Halsey writes: "Basically i have a song that i love that i wanna release ASAP but my record label won't let me." In the background, Halsey plays a snippet of their unreleased song as a TikTok sound.

They then add: "I've been in this industry for 8 years and i've sold over 165 million records and my record label is saying that i can't release it unless they can fake a viral moment on tiktok. everything is marketing. and they are doing this to basically every artist these days. i just wanna release music man. and i deserve better tbh."

Fans were quick to praise Halsey for her honesty and began criticising music labels for failing to support their artists. One fan commented: "You deserve the best halsey, you needa find one who lets you release YOUR music when you want." Another added: "EVERYBODY LET'S USE THE SOUND TO MAKE IT VIRAL."

As it stands, the video has been liked over 1 million times and viewed over 7.5 million times.

Halsey says their label won’t let them release new music unless they go viral on TikTok

Shortly after Halsey posted the video, some people began questioning if Halsey's video calling out their label was actually a marketing ploy devised by their label. One person commented: "This is the viral marketing video…" and Halsey responded: "Bruh I wish it was haha. They just said I have to post tiktoks they didn’t specifically say 'about what' so here I am."

Halsey then tweeted: "Talked to my label tonight after my tiktok tantrum. They said 'wow the tiktok is going really strong!' I was like ok cool so can I release my song now? They said 'we’ll see!' tell me again how I’m making this up." A fan replied: "Drop it anyways," and Halsey explained: "I can't they own the master."

They said: "I’ve been minding my own business on tour taking care of my baby. Four albums deep. Coasting. I’m way too established to stir something like this up for no reason or resort to this as a marketing tactic but now I’m in too deep so there’s no going back."

Halsey also went onto Instagram live to speak further about the situation. They explained that when they originally wrote the song their label told them: "You can put it out but we're not going to do anything to promote it." because it wasn't "pop" enough. Halsey then reproduced the song with notorious hitmaker Max Martin but they still won't let her put it out.

Halsey continued: "They wanted me to a six TikTok campaign over the course of a month where we slowly and organically make the song go viral. I don't know how to do that. I wish this was a joke. I'm just sick of it... I've never had such a hard time putting out a song in my entire career."

Halsey has since tweeted: "at this point i don’t know what to do because I told the truth about what’s happening and now I STILL don’t have a release date AND some of you think I’m lying about this whole fiasco. so I’m double fucked lol. if you have questions, I have answers. I have nothing to hide."

As it stands, it appears that Halsey's label are yet to let them release the song. We shall update you if they do.

Read more Halsey stories here:

• Halsey fans are sobbing over the meaning behind their new match tattoo
• Halsey reveals Dominic Fike thought she was 35 when they first met
• Halsey reveals emotional meaning behind 1121 lyrics and song title
• Halsey shares photos of their body after giving birth to combat postpartum body stigma

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