Halsey has released a deluxe edition of their fifth album, The Great Impersonator, featuring six new songs. The expanded version includes 'Carry the Weight,' previously premiered on tour, along with 'Lucid,' 'Lessons,' 'Nothing,' 'Charades,' and the demo 'Afraid of the Dark.' Halsey described it as the final addition to the album cycle.
Halsey announced the deluxe edition on Thursday, adding five previously unreleased tracks plus the demo to the original album. “It was really important to me that you guys got every song I intended for you to hear in the TGI cycle,” Halsey said in a statement. “Here is the final punctuation on that long sentence.” The new songs build on the album's concept, inspired by Halsey's diagnosis with Lupus SLE and a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder, which led them to fear it might be their last project. “Can you see that I’m bleeding on the stage?” Halsey asks on “Charades.”The Great Impersonator debuted in October 2024 as Halsey's first release on Columbia Records, following their 2023 signing after leaving Capitol Records. Halsey expressed gratitude to the label: “I’m so grateful to everyone at Columbia Records who played a part in bringing this to life and getting it into the world.” In a September interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Halsey noted they were once “not allowed” to make another album because the original did not meet expectations.Despite selling 100,000 copies in its first week, Halsey called it a failure compared to past successes. “If I’m being honest with you, the album sold 100,000 fucking copies first week,” Halsey said. “That’s a pretty big first week, especially for an artist who hasn’t had a hit in a long time.” The For My Last Trick Tour marked their highest-selling tour to date. Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield praised moments where the music's playful wit overcame vocal gloom.
