Halsey Signs With Columbia Records

Halsey has signed a new recording deal with Columbia Records, the label announced today (June 14). The news comes two months after the singer’s managers announced they had parted ways with Capitol Records after eight years, a decision managers Jason Aron and Anthony Li of Anti-Pop called “bittersweet” at the time.

Halsey released four albums with Capitol dating back to 2015’s Badlands on its Astralwerks imprint, which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200; their next album, 2017’s Hopeless Fountain Kingdom, was their first to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Both 2020’s Manic and 2021’s If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the chart. Halsey also landed two No. 1s on the Hot 100 in their career: “Without Me,” in 2018, and as a guest artist on The Chainsmokers’ “Closer” in 2016, which was released by Columbia.

In May 2022, Halsey seemed to publicly call out Capitol for not releasing the single “So Good” until “they can fake a viral moment on TikTok,” a claim they made on TikTok. Halsey’s TikTok — in which the singer said “everything is marketing” — then went viral, seemingly proving that, indeed, everything is marketing.

In April, Aron and Li’s statement about Halsey’s departure from Capitol continued that “we are excited about exploring a new partnership and sharing new music with fans.” At the time, a Capitol spokesperson said, “Everyone at Capitol poured their hearts and souls into helping Halsey achieve their dreams and present their music to the world. We are incredibly proud of all we accomplished together, and wish Halsey the very best in all their future endeavors.”

Halsey has also signed a few deals in other areas of their business: in November, they signed a publishing agreement with BMG, while in September their cosmetics brand partnered with Live Nation. In May, they penned a Tumblr post saying they are “hard at work” on new music.