Halsey Channels Shakespeare on Ambitious Sophomore Album ‘Hopeless Fountain Kingdom’

Jordan Bailey

Halsey begins her second album with the actual prologue from Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” You may think she’s setting herself up for failure having to follow an excerpt from one of the greatest love stories ever told, but this twenty-two-year-old nonconformist pop-star gives you every reason to believe she’s up to the task. “Hopeless Fountain Kingdom” finds Halsey pushing a similar sound as her debut, but with more confidence in spirit.

2015’s “Badlands” was impressive as the debut of a budding alternative singer-songwriter ready to carve out her niche in an ever-growing pop scene. This new album has helped her dig even deeper, solidifying her as a queen of the underground, female-lead, millennial sub-culture that is alt-pop music. As Halsey watches the world around her change so drastically (and quickly) a world in which society demands neat little labels be put on everything and everyone, she pushes back.

“hopeless fountain kingdom” plays out like a Shakespeare story; raw emotion is punctuated by twists and turns, profound soliloquies about life, love and the pursuit of understanding. Every song has a feeling of sincerity, wherein she’s genuinely attempting to craft a world with which to embrace. “Alone” is a glitzy-glamour, red carpet walk-up song with a loop-style beat attached featuring subtle horns; “Lie” is dark and ruminating with Migos member Quavo sharing a verse. “Don’t Play” features a nasty downward spiral of a hook with MF bombs galore, and “Devil in Me” shows Halsey in her element with an uplifting melody as she fights the negativity within her.

“Now or Never,” the album’s first single drop, set the tone for what’s to come. This track, like many of her previous releases, is subtly gangster: she maintains this ability to create badassery even with the most delicate of jams. This brooding R&B tune describes the emotional struggles of two lovers, Solis and Luna (analogous to Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”), as they move through their relationship. The music video for “Now or Never” finds Halsey in the director’s seat for the first time conducting said love story featuring an epically diverse group of actors in a (somehow) neo-retro world.

Producers are slowly becoming equals to the faces and voices that lead pop music. Cashmere Cat is one artist making a name for himself in the pop-electronic arena. His recent debut, “9,” brought on singers such as The Weeknd, and Halsey’s “Eyes Closed” has reunited the two. With Cashmere Cat on production and The Weeknd contributing melodic work, “Eyes Closed” details the not-so-extraordinary story of a lover trying to move on from an ex, via a new flame. Regardless of the clichéd plot, the song holds a strong lead by Halsey’s signature fluttering sandpaper voice and intriguing delivery. Cashmere Cat makes another appearance at the end of the sonic journey that is Halsey’s sophomore effort. “Hopeless” is entrenched with the young Nordic producer’s sound which is hyper-modern and eccentric yet somehow graspable; Halsey fits in perfectly.

Halsey is known for her unwavering devotion to diversity. At any one of her live shows, fans will have the chance to scream in praise as she promotes causes such as LGBTQ rights. “Strangers” speaks on such a topic with the help of Fifth Harmony singer Lauren Jauregui. This sultry same-sex love duet once again comes from the perspective of “Romeo and Juliet.” The two make it a point to discuss the emotional struggle they’ve both experienced when it came to a same-sex relationship they’ve had in the past, to prove that bisexuality is more than just sexuality: like heterosexual relationships, they come with emotional complications and nuances.

“Hopeless Fountain Kingdom” spans all manner of love, from the tragic to the exalted, leaving behind only the benign. It’s clear Halsey has no use for the unimportant; she revels in significant ideas, and it shows clear in her music. That being said, the more noise she makes, the better off we all are.

“Hopeless Fountain Kingdom” is available on Apple Music June 2.