Halsey Found Out She Was Sick on Her 28th Birthday

Halsey found out they were sick on their 28th birthday.

In a PAPER Magazine cover story interview, the pop star (who uses she/they pronouns), 29, also recalled receiving a daunting diagnosis on her birthday — and how her health infiltrated her music on their forthcoming album The Great Impersonator.

“I had a tiny little baby and I was on my tour, and it was my 28th birthday when I got the confirmation of my T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder diagnosis,” Halsey told the publication.

The discovery about their health ended up impacting their creative process and came at a time when they didn’t know what to write.

“I had to stop asking the universe for s—,” Halsey said. “I had to just stop, because before this record, I remember being at home like, I have my perfect little family with my baby and my partner. What am I going to write about? I have nothing to write about.”

She added: “I’m always writing about conflict and tragedy and transgressions, and I felt that I didn’t have anything to write about. The universe was like, ‘Yeah? What about this?’”

Halsey also revealed that doctors had warned her that her life as an artist could be detrimental to her healing process.

“It seemed unfair,” they said, “because the answer was, ‘If you want this to go away, quit your job.’”

When it came to making The Great Impersonator, they began to ponder some existential questions.

“If I spawned in any other decade, or any other parallel universe, does it always go this way? Do I always end up Halsey? If I end up Halsey, do I always end up sick? I was playing out these alternate realities,” Halsey told the outlet.

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While promoting her single “The End” in June, Halsey detailed which conditions she had been privately battling in an Instagram post.

“I realize everyone is catching up with news I’ve held in for a very long time, and I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to share,” the “Lonely Is the Muse” performer wrote after thanking fans for their support. 

Halsey continued: “In 2022, I was first diagnosed with Lupus SLE and then a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder. Both of which are currently being managed or in remission; and both of which I will likely have for the duration of my life.”