Halsey isn’t here for the excuses. In a smoldering performance of her 2018 hit “Without Me” on Saturday Night Live, she delivered her verses from a stage covered in reproductions of a break-up letter from an old flame. Adorned in a black, low-slung gown and backed by a silhouetted pianist on a grand piano, Halsey gave a straightforward performance of “Without Me” without any of the bells and whistles that TV performances sometimes come with.
“Without Me” is Halsey’s first No. 1 single and her first solo song since her 2017 album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom. It’s also got a remix featuring Chicago rapper Juice WRLD, which has contributed to its cross-genre appeal. The song’s appearance on SNL is a strong seal of approval for the song, but it’s also Halsey’s second appearance on SNL recently. She performed alongside Lil Wayne when he appeared in November, performing an emotional rendition of “Can’t Be Broken.”
The previous performance also made headlines when it was revealed that Lil Wayne drew Halsey a tattoo backstage which she got inked within days of the performance. Halsey also appeared in an earlier sketch performance with some of the other cast members to sing an ode to the commercialization of Valentine’s Day.
