[Herald Interview] Halsey says working with BTS one of best experiences in life

Halsey, the US artist who made herself known to Korean fans after featuring on K-pop sensation BTS’ hit song “Boy With Luv” last year, remembers the collaboration as one of the best experiences in her life.

In an email interview conducted ahead of her Seoul concert in May, Halsey said, “I flew to Korea to film the music video for ‘Boy With Luv’ and got to spend some time there, and see how they work, how they make music video, and how dedicated they are to dancing and making sure everything is perfect.

“It definitely inspired me to maintain that kind of dedication with my art as well,” she said.

Getting to know each of the bandmates personally, Halsey proposed another collaboration with one of the members, Suga, and featured him in her song “Suga’s Interlude,” which is listed on her latest album, “Manic.”

“His solo music -- ‘Agust D’ -- really spoke to me. The music was a lot about really personal times and dark side, the confusing life of being a musician and to go on as a person accepting that. And when I heard that, in my heart I knew I wanted to have Suga on my album,” she explained.

In that sense, Suga may have been the perfect fit for Halsey’s latest album, which, according to the artist, delves into her vulnerabilities as a young person making her way through a hectic time in her life.

“I’m in my 20s, I’m making mistakes and now they have more consequences because I’m older. I’m looking for true love in the world. I’m figuring out who I am as a person,” the 25-year-old musician said.

“We live in a world where everything looks so perfect on social media. If I make music for young people right now, I want to show them the process of growing up and figuring out who you are isn’t as always as beautiful as it looks to be. Sometimes, it’s more complicated than that,” she said in a message to fans.

With so many changing thoughts going through her mind, Halsey said “Manic” reflects such an indecisive mindset and holds many different stories and sounds.

Halsey, or Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, made her formal debut in 2014 after proving popular on social media. She shot to fame with her debut studio album “Badlands,” topping music charts and making her a sought-after artist for collaborations with star artists including Justin Bieber, the Chainsmokers and Imagine Dragons.

Halsey’s concert will take place at 7 p.m. on May 9 at Olympic Park in Jamsil, Seoul.

Tickets for the show, priced at 99,000 won and 110,000 won, will be available online from Yes24 starting noon on Thursday.



By Choi Ji-won (jwc@heraldcorp.com)