In the lead-up to and aftermath of Halsey’s Trent Reznor- and Atticus Ross-produced album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, there has been a lot of talk about the conversations the three had before committing to making the album together. Now, though, Halsey has shared the first look of her real-time reaction to Reznor praising her music, a moment that was clearly moving for her.
Today, Halsey released a behind-the-scenes video about the making of both the If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power album and accompanying film. At about 7:53 into the video, Halsey discusses getting Reznor and Ross involved with the album, noting, “Since my debut, I wanted to work with Trent and Atticus.”
The video then shows footage of Halsey, in Prague, on a long-distance call with Reznor and Atticus, both in Los Angeles. Halsey was clearly nervous and excited to be on the call: While Reznor spoke, Halsey quietly asked the people around her, “Am I doing OK?”
Reznor started with brutal honestly, noting of the work Halsey had sent along to him, “When we heard the arrangements of the music, it made it feel a bit casual. Now I’m not really listening to what you’re saying because the music has told me, ‘Ah, this is something to listen to in the car.'” Reznor’s tone shifted as he continued, “Once we got rid of that or changed that, suddenly, we were really listening to what you were saying and, quite frankly, blown away by the songwriting.”
After hearing that, Halsey looked like she was about to break into happy tears before offering a shaky, “Wow.”
Reznor continued, “Once it’s stripped, these songs feel… I get more goosebumps, not just because the snare drum sounds different, but… I’m really listening to what you’re saying and I’m responding to it. We’re glad to see that you seem to feel the same way. This is something we think, you know, could be really great.”
After Reznor said “goosebumps,” Halsey gave an “Oh my god” sort of expression that communicated how meaningful that was for her to hear, before covering her eyes and resting her hands on her face.
Halsey, still seemingly overwhelmed, ended the call by responding before saying her goodbyes, “I still feel like this phone call isn’t really happening. I’m kind of out of my mind. So I promise I’ll get over my fangirl-ness as soon as possible so we can have a functioning work relationship.”
Once everybody hung up, Halsey opened her mouth as wide as possible, closed her laptop, walked around the room, and proudly recounted Reznor saying her songwriting gave him goosebumps.
It was clearly a special moment for Halsey and it’s delightful to watch it unfold, so check it out in the video above. Given that this video is labeled “Part 1,” there’s presumably more to come, so keep an eye out for further behind-the-scenes videos from Halsey.
