On Sunday (May 22), Halsey took to TikTok to say that “marketing” is getting in the way of her sharing new music. The singer vented their frustrations at their record label for holding a forthcoming release back until the singer can garner a “viral moment on TikTok.”
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“Basically I have a song that I love that I wanna release ASAP,” Halsey wrote over a video of themselves. “But my record label won’t let me.”
The unreleased track seems to be playing in the background of the TikTok, sharing a snippet of the song in spite of her label’s decision.
“I’ve been in the music industry for 8 years and I’ve sold over 165 million records and my record company is saying that I can’t release it unless they can fake a viral moment on tik tok,” they continued. “everything is marketing. and they are doing this to basically every artist these days. i just wanna release music man and I deserve better tbh. i’m tired.”
Ironically, the TikTok has gone viral in itself, leading to impassioned responses from her peers in the music industry and fans alike.
Fellow indie singer Sizzy Rocket shared her similar experience with the music industry, which eventually led to her starting her own record label.
“halsey’s tik tok only scratches the surface of what’s happening in music right now,” the singer wrote. “every major label in this industry has called me to write for their viral artists but won’t touch my project bc ‘my numbers aren’t high enough.’ that’s why I started my own label…”
She went on to say: “artistic freedom and the power to create is everything and we must NEVER forget this.”
Singers FKA Twigs and Charli XCX have all nodded to the increased demand for artist’s to make TikTok’s despite their lenghthy careers and commercial success.
Twitter user @phleshamnesiac shared screen grabs from all three artists on TikTok saying, “what do charli xcx, fka twigs & halsey have in common?”
Hungry for new music from the “Bad at Love” singer, Halsey fans have shared their dissapointment of the label’s decision across social media.
Twitter user @odetokarleigh pledged her support of the singer saying, “you were successful before tik tok, you’re going to continue to be successful without tik tok.”
Fan @anyainthealps added, “the fact that an artist like halsey, who’s proven themselves to be a force of nature, isn’t given the freedom to release THEIR music unless the song becomes viral on tiktok is whack. as if they needed a bigger platform than their incredibly supportive fans.”
While there are no shortage of Halsey supporters, some social media users are taking the opposite position, claiming that the whole TikTok was a marketing scheme of its own.
User @fredro said on Twitter, “If Halsey’s Tik Tok rant about her label won’t release her song without it going viral on Tik Tok, and then the rant went viral with the song playing in the background was a planned PR stunt then whoever came up with that scheme needs a damn promotion!!”
Celebrity drama account @teapublyssity said, “Halsey just pulled the ultimate PR stunt. She made a tiktok complaining that her label won’t let her release a new song ‘unless they can fake a viral TikTok moment,’ all while faking a viral TikTok moment and raising awareness for her new song.”
Whether the whole thing was a PR stunt in itself or a genuine cry for outrage from the singer, the music industry’s dependance on TikTok is becoming more obvious with every new viral-pandering track and celebrity signing up for the app. Clearly not everyone is a fan of the tactic.
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
