The Pop Star Next Door
Cosmopolitan - South Africa|December 2019
Don’t let the wild backstory, romantic rebellions and soulful anger fool you. Really, Halsey is a 25-year-old from New Jersey named Ashley Frangipane. And she has feelings too.
Meaghan Garvey
The Pop Star Next Door
I'm not sure who to expect.

During my taxi ride through Los Angeles’s winding side streets, two songs come on the radio that sound like they have nothing in common: Eastside, an electro-pop smash about puppy love, and Nightmare, an altrock thrasher about punching mirrors and tasting blood. They both belong to one of the biggest pop stars on the planet. And I’m on my way to her house.

Well, one of her houses. (She has two places in LA because, what the hell, she’s one of the biggest pop stars on the planet.) The driveway gate skates open and here’s Halsey – Oasis tee, baggy sweats, bare feet – curled over an ashtray in the backyard. Where the Halsey of Google Images is an endless mood board of raver wigs and shaved heads, the Halsey of right now has her dark-brown bob pulled back casually à la Rosie the Riveter, traces of glitter from her COSMO cover shoot smudged around her eyes.

Halsey swears her fans think of her as a friend from camp, which is kind of absurd coming from someone with more than 16,5 million Instagram followers, two Grammy noms, and a handful of hits that have nabbed top spots on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. But after 10 minutes of chainsmoking together (yes, she tweeted last year that she’d quit her decade-old habit; also yes, she’s a human being and quitting things is hard) and comparing our questionable tattoos, I nearly forget I’m not here to just shoot the shit in a cool mid-century bachelorette pad with, um, a girl I know from camp.

This story is from the December 2019 edition of Cosmopolitan - South Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 2019 edition of Cosmopolitan - South Africa.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM COSMOPOLITAN - SOUTH AFRICAView All
Marc Buckner
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

Marc Buckner

The Bachelor SA Season 2’s star is here to make you swoon. Find out why boss babes are ready to risk it all for this adventurous dog lover.

time-read
1 min  |
May 2020
I Tested Positive For The Alzheimer's Gene At 26 Years Old
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

I Tested Positive For The Alzheimer's Gene At 26 Years Old

A DNA testing kit is like a crystal ball, but what if you don’t like what you see?

time-read
3 mins  |
May 2020
Basically No-One Has A 28-Day Menstrual Cycle
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

Basically No-One Has A 28-Day Menstrual Cycle

Brought to you by: the idea of a ‘normal’ period is a lie

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2020
For Those Times When You're Like, ‘I Love You, But You're Annoying...'
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

For Those Times When You're Like, ‘I Love You, But You're Annoying...'

Coupledom can be hard!

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2020
How To Get Sh*t Done
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

How To Get Sh*t Done

Calling all procrastinators: sometimes getting started on a new project or goal can be the hardest part. Here’s how to stop putting it off and actually press go

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2020
Is Rage Bait Okay?
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

Is Rage Bait Okay?

It has become the new engagement strategy for many brands. Companies bait their followers into engaging with their content around topics that cause outrage. But is this okay? Social -media strategists Talya Goldberg and Jabulile Dlamini -Qwesha share their views.

time-read
2 mins  |
May 2020
Is Cardio A Scam? And 7 Other Not-stupid Questions About Fitness Things
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

Is Cardio A Scam? And 7 Other Not-stupid Questions About Fitness Things

Thanks for calling 0800 -WTF- Is -This

time-read
3 mins  |
May 2020
Hold The Phone
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

Hold The Phone

Zozibini Tunzi is here to remind you all to Take. Up. Space. She’s rewriting the pageantry rulebook, and she wants you to join in (in a bath, wearing sparkly boots, because that’s just how we roll).

time-read
10 mins  |
May 2020
How To Tell It Like It Is *And Finally Get A Promotion*
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

How To Tell It Like It Is *And Finally Get A Promotion*

Receiving constructive criticism on your work can be terrifying. But do it right and it can be a career game-changer.

time-read
5 mins  |
May 2020
What Makes A Compulsive Liar?
Cosmopolitan - South Africa

What Makes A Compulsive Liar?

We all do it. Tell those lit t le white lies to ourselves, and others. But what about those for whom lying is a way of life? Catriona Harvey-Jenner investigates the rise of a new kind of scammer.

time-read
10 mins  |
May 2020