Halsey fires back after Anthony Fantano's review resurfaces: 'Everything you say is whiny and edgy'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Singer Halsey has responded after a discussion about music critic Anthony Fantano's review of her 2024 album 'The Great Impersonator' resurfaced online. The exchange began when a social media user revisited Fantano's review and commented on the continued debate surrounding it.
The critic's reply prompted her to directly address the situation, reigniting attention around the album and the critic's assessment of it. During the creation and release of the album, she was also undergoing chemotherapy for blood cancer.
I’m certain my least memorable song will be remembered more fondly and for more time than anything you ever do with your life will be. Everything you say is more “whiny” and “edgy” than I was at any point on that album. But at least I had the excuse of going through chemo. https://t.co/h2dFzOqpKH
— halsey (@halsey) June 21, 2026
Anthony Fantano's review of 'The Great Impersonator' sparks renewed debate
The renewed discussion started when a user wrote, “I didn’t really agree with how Fantano approached some aspects of his Halsey review but I can’t understand how there’s still discourse about it all this time later. It’s not like it’s some great album… how are people still hung up over it.”
Fantano responded, “if they’re more into the review than the album.”
She then entered the conversation with a pointed reply aimed at the critic, “I’m certain my least memorable song will be remembered more fondly and for more time than anything you ever do with your life will be."
She continued, "Everything you say is more ‘whiny’ and ‘edgy’ than I was at any point on that album. But at least I had the excuse of going through chemo.” The exchange drew renewed attention to his original review of the album on his YouTube channel 'TheNeedleDrop' and his website.
On his website, Fantano described her career trajectory, writing, “Pop singer and songwriter, Halsey. From Tumblr fandom to mainstream stardom, Halsey's rise to popularity has been interesting, to say the least, because while I've never quite been a fan of her work.”
In his review, he criticized the album’s concept, which drew inspiration from numerous influential artists. He argued that the project failed to capture the sound or essence of musicians such as David Bowie, Kate Bush, Fiona Apple, Annie Lennox, Joni Mitchell, PJ Harvey, Bruce Springsteen, Cher, and Bjork.
He described many tracks as feeling like “bad Halloween costumes” and compared portions of the album to the styles of Avril Lavigne and early Taylor Swift. Fantano ultimately gave the album a “light to decent 1,” calling parts of it difficult to listen to and, at times, “laughable.”
Halsey's health battles shaped 'The Great Impersonator'
During the creation and rollout of the album, Halsey was publicly dealing with cancer treatment and several chronic health conditions, experiences that heavily influenced the album’s themes and songwriting.
Released in October, 'The Great Impersonator' became one of her most personal and conceptually ambitious projects. The record explored fears surrounding illness, mortality, parenthood, and legacy while incorporating inspiration from a wide range of artists and musical eras.
When announcing the album, she shared a message on Instagram, writing, “long story short, I’m Lucky to be alive. short story long, i wrote an album.”
The singer later provided additional health updates in a TikTok video posted on September 26, 2025. She revealed that she had recently undergone more chemotherapy treatments. “Just coming on here to give you guys another speed round of updates. [I] just did another few sessions of chemo," adding that she had also undergone the placement of a new port.
The update came after she disclosed diagnoses of Lupus SLE and a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder in 2022, conditions that informed much of the emotional and personal material featured throughout 'The Great Impersonator.'
