11 November 2020
Newsdesk
Halsey decided to change her name when she was a teenager in a bid to make herself "more special".
The 26-year-old singer was born Ashley Nicolette Frangipane and she went by that name until she was a teenager recording her 2015 debut album Badlands. During that process, she decided to adopt a new professional name as she felt Halsey could be more successful than Ashley.
Speaking to Cosmopolitan magazine about the decision, Halsey explained: "At the time, I felt that Ashley didn't deserve to be famous and successful because she wasn't that special, but if I made Halsey, maybe she could be.
"(Changing my name) gave me the opportunity to create a new persona that wasn't bound by the expectations I had for myself or the limitations that others placed on me because of my upbringing or my socioeconomic situation."
Halsey was able to become a person who "could do everything" with her new name, as the Without Me hitmaker added: "There was no way that Ashley was going to become a king, but I made a new name for myself and took her to paranormal, supernatural heights."
