The pop stars are seemingly mad about TikTok. Over the past week, a few tweets have gone viral featuring artists like FKA Twigs, Charli XCX, and Florence And The Machine complaining about their labels forcing them to make TikToks to promote their music. Halsey is the latest musician to take to, hey, TikTok, to claim that their label won't release a new song if it doesn't have an accompanying viral TikTok.
While playing a snippet of a new song, Halsey wrote: "Basically, I have a song that I love that I want to release ASAP, but my record label won’t let me. I’ve been in this industry for eight years and I’ve sold over 165 million records and my record company is saying I can’t release it unless they can fake a viral moment on TikTok."
Some might speculate ... that this is exactly the sort of viral TikTok this song would "need" to be released. Halsey says that's not the case. When someone pointed that out in the comments, they 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."
And when someone else asked "what counts as viral," Halsey responded: "It’s like if it doesn’t get a certain amount of views or likes or w.e. they will just keep making me make videos and push it back until they’re happy."
"Everything is marketing," Halsey concluded in her now-viral TikTok. "And they are doing this to basically every artist these days. I just want to release music, man and I deserve better tbh. I’m tired."
Everything is marketing ... hmm. Makes you think.
https://www.tiktok.com/@halsey/video/7100595685912775979
https://www.tiktok.com/@halsey/video/7100623748315008302
https://twitter.com/alluregaga2/status/1528456671311196160
On Monday morning, Halsey sent out some tweets addressing the whole situation. "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," they wrote. "so I’m double fucked lol. if you have questions, I have answers. I have nothing to hide."
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.
— halsey ? (@halsey) May 23, 2022
no I’m in a contract! https://t.co/Pu0OKOrt3H
— halsey ? (@halsey) May 23, 2022
I wrote it in January. and then I had to re-produce it a few times to get the label on board. But in its current state? Mixed and mastered and ready to drop? Over a month. https://t.co/NA9lT6Pvj3
— halsey ? (@halsey) May 23, 2022
never been stopped from release like this. It almost happened with nightmare. But they blocked 3am as a single as well and the manic era got cut short https://t.co/R0DFfrAGez
— halsey ? (@halsey) May 23, 2022
honestly idk the tiktok is already viral + I still don’t have a release date. I would say just do what you guys normally are amazing at doing when I announce a song (under better circumstances). They haven’t given me a date and I wanna release it ASAP so that’s really the hold up https://t.co/fu2GfCEBSI
— halsey ? (@halsey) May 23, 2022
100% I agree. I value the expertise and work of all the amazing people at my label. There are so many talented professionals there. But surely we can have an opinion on the entry point of consumption they’re trying to enforce?! A suggestion is great, an ultimatum? Not so much. https://t.co/N3NA52bOd0
— halsey ? (@halsey) May 23, 2022
Halsey's most recent album, the Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross-produced If I Can't Have Love I Want Power, was released last year.
