Halsey to Release Hour-Long IMAX Film With New Album “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power”
Last month pop sensation Halsey announced her fourth studio album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. Produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of the rock band Nine Inch Nails, this collection is expected to be some of her best work.
On Instagram, Halsey wrote “This album is a concept album about the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth. It was very important to be that the cover art conveyed the sentiment of my journey over the past few months.” To further the impact of her newest work, Halsey has just announced that an hour-long IMAX film starring the singer will accompany the August 27 release of her new album.
Written by the pop artist herself and directed by Colin Tilley, known for directing the music videos of Halsey’s singles Without Me and You Should Be Sad, the film is set to the music of her forthcoming LP. The visuals take inspiration from period pieces like Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, or Shekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth, and feature Halsey enduring the struggles of pregnancy during the Victorian era. Artistic shots of her (real) pregnant belly pepper the film, shot when she was pregnant with her first child. She incorporates themes of mysticism and motherhood into the plot in accordance with the theme of the album.
The trailer, released last week, opens with a warning: “This film is about the lifelong social labyrinth of sexuality and birth—the greatest horror stories never told.” Set to an unreleased song that reiterates the lines “it’s not a happy ending” and “all of this is temporary”, the trailer is filled to the brim with tense, suspenseful moments that seek to capture the trauma and raw emotion associated with pregnancy in this time and in all times.
Although a specific release date for the film has not been announced, tickets will go on sale on August 3 for IMAX showings, so it is expected to correspond with the release of the album on August 27.