At the start of this month, Halsey teased “a very special album artwork reveal & release date announcement” for her Trent Reznor- and Atticus Ross-produced album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. It turns out she wasn’t just drumming up anticipation with hyperbole, as the art is definitely noteworthy: She shared it today, and it features Halsey freeing the nipple, as one of her breasts is exposed in the art, which was inspired by a Renaissance painting (specifically, “Virgin And Child Surrounded By Angels,” from the Melun Diptych by Jean Fouquet).
That’s the sort of thing that tends to turn heads, and indeed, it did, as it didn’t take long for Halsey to become one of the day’s top-trending topics on Twitter as reactions to the reveal poured in.
At least one user observed a trend in skin-bearing album covers, as Halsey’s arrives not long after the also-viral Lorde album art for Solar Power.
https://twitter.com/icantunseeit/status/1412813137477312512
Others noted that this image is a continuation of Halsey’s strong history of standout cover art.
https://twitter.com/lalalaylola/status/1412812752603828224
When sharing the art, Halsey said of it:
“This album is a concept album about the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth. It was very important to me that the cover art conveyed the sentiment of my journey over the past few months. The dichotomy of the Madonna and the Whore. The idea that me as a sexual being and my body as a vessel and gift to my child are two concepts that can co-exist peacefully and powerfully. My body has belonged to the world in many different ways the past few years, and this image is my means of reclaiming my autonomy and establishing my pride and strength as a life force for my human being.
This cover image celebrates pregnant and postpartum bodies as something beautiful, to be admired. We have a long way to go with eradicating the social stigma around bodies & breastfeeding. I hope this can be a step in the right direction!”
Find the NSFW art and more reactions below.
https://twitter.com/halsey/status/1412811525782339585
https://twitter.com/repnostalgia/status/1412812371882655753
https://twitter.com/stateofshrish/status/1412814629001039877
https://twitter.com/cowboyinexile13/status/1412816562092978180
https://twitter.com/gagaperry23/status/1412814476034940936
https://twitter.com/taylorsmykitten/status/1412822736167182341
https://twitter.com/foreverisohel/status/1412812633225506824
If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power is out 8/27 via Capitol. Pre-order it here.
