Halsey's debut album "Badlands" came out three years ago this August. "Badlands" debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart with sales of 97,000 copies in the first week of its release. The album was included on Rock Sound's top 50 releases of 2015 ranking at number five.

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Halsey's boyfriend at the time known as Lido is the executive producer of the album. Lido also co-wrote and sang background on a couple of the tracks.

The conceptual album was named after the singer's state of mind while creating the album. Halsey describes it as a metaphor for a desolate and lonely mind.

Badlands' album promotion was done through a Vevo Lift video where Halsey narrates what the Badlands is. The promotion came out on August 7, 2015. 21 days before the album release.

The first single of the album was "Ghost." "Ghost" was first released in 2014 off Halsey's debut EP, "Room 93." Prior to this release, Halsey recorded "Ghost" on Soundcloud and after the song received online attention, the record company Astralwerks signed her.

Halsey on her debut single:

"The concept of the song itself is about being in a relationship with someone who isn't emotionally available: you feel their physical presence but the emotional one isn't there."

The second music video for the song was filmed in Tokyo and directed by Malia James and Ryan Witt in late May of 2015. The video features a same-sex couple, one of the women being Halsey herself. LGBTQ+ rights are one of the many things Halsey has a strong presence and platform in as she is a bisexual woman.

"New Americana" is the second single off of Badlands. The single was released a month before the album's release date and the video was released later that September.

The track contains an interpolation of the song "Juicy Fruit" by Mtume.

What makes "New Americana" stand out from Halsey's other singles is its meaning. The single describes the normalization of the counterculture in the United States including the recreational use of marijuana and same-sex marriage. Halsey also shouts out Nirvana and Biggie, two very different, but very influential artists to the singer.

It's so frustrating when people don't understand the satire of 'New Americana'. They think it's this insane basic pop song, but that's the point. I wrote a song critiquing pop culture and I made it sound like a huge pop song. People are writing angry think pieces about how they don't appreciate me rhyming 'legal marijauna' with 'Biggie and Nirvana'. The whole point is for it to be a buzzworthy song. I'm making fun of current pop culture. Has anyone heard the bridge? I say: 'What kind of bubble gum have you been blowing lately?' In my other songs, I'd never say something like that. But the whole point of that lyric is me saying, 'What kind of bullshit have you been talking? What kind of vapid things have you been obsessed with lately?' Honestly though, the fact people miss the point of the song is driving me fucking insane

Although Halsey does not perform the song live anymore, it is arguably one of her most popular. Halsey performed "New Americana" on the Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert talk shows as the musical guest in 2015.

"Colors" is the third single off of "Badlands." "Colors" was released February 9th of 2016. The music video was released shortly after and it was directed by Tim Mattia. The video received positive feedback and co-starred the "Teen Wolf" actor, Tyler Posey.

One of Halsey's most famous and most commonly tattoed lyrics is in this song:

"You were red, and you liked me because I was blue. But you touched me, and suddenly I was a lilac sky. Then you decided purple just wasn't for you."

The fourth and final single off of "Badlands" is "Castle."

"Castle" was re-recorded and featured in the 2016 film, "The Huntsman: Winter's War." The album version of "Castle" was also featured "The Royals," "Zombie," and "The Originals."