No matter how many hit songs Halsey writes, she might never live down singing Blink-182 at her local mall.
The pop star reflected on the viral video from their teenage years, affectionately dubbed “Mallsey” by fans, during a Friday (May 9) appearance on Owen Thiele’s In Your Dreams podcast.
“Word of caution to those seeking virality is that, when you’re trying anything hoping one thing will go, you don’t get to decide what that one thing is,” Halsey said on the podcast. “And that one thing might define you forever.”
Halsey went on to suggest one of those things in her own career will likely be her No. 1 single “Without Me,” which she still counts as “one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written.” However, the musician also quickly pointed out, “I sang at the mall once when I was a kid and everyone will remember that until I die, probably.”
The nonbinary pop star then went on to explain the context of the “Mallsey” clip, saying, “Here’s the thing that sucks about it, right? Is that I was starting to get really popular on Tumblr, and this was the time where everyone was doing meet-ups. … You didn’t have to do anything, you didn’t have to have a talent. It didn’t matter. You were just big on the internet.”
So at the suggestion of several Tumblr users, Halsey decided to host their very first impromptu meet-up at Pennsylvania’s King of Prussia Mall. “I went and met all these fans,” the singer continued. “It was the first time I’d ever met a fan before, and they were like, ‘Will you sing?’ and I was like, I never sang outside of my bedroom before.”
Put on the spot, she bravely launched into an a cappella cover of Blink-182’s 2004 classic “I Miss You” — complete with Tom DeLonge’s unforgettable vocal affectations — which was captured on camera by a fan and the rest, as they say, is Internet history.
Elsewhere during the interview, Halsey confirmed they’re in the process of working on new music that will serve as a follow-up to 2024’s The Great Impersonator, and also dished on her mom’s hilarious reaction to her early Tumblr-era fame.
Meanwhile Halsey just teamed up with Evanescence singer Amy Lee for their new collaborative single “Hand That Feeds“
Watch Halsey’s full chat on In Your Dreams below.