“The Great Impersonator” by popstar Halsey, released on Friday, is a meditation on the struggles of fame and grief.

The singer-songwriter, whose real name is Ashley Frangipane, unpacks their two-year-long battle with chronic illness by asking what would have been different if she had debuted throughout different music eras.

The 30-year-old artist, who uses she/they pronouns, said in an interview with PAPER magazine they had been diagnosed with a rare T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder on their birthday two years ago. Being on tour and a new mother to a young son, Halsey formed her fifth studio album as a collection of impersonations of influential artists that inspired her throughout her life as she thought she was dying.

The album is the circus act of the century, according to Halsey’s official website.

The description of the album said, “Witness the uncanny ability of a woman who can become anyone. Anything your heart desires. Friend, lover, foe. She transforms before your very eyes, her voice and visage a reflection of your deepest dreams and darkest fears.”

But Halsey’s chameleon-like ability to change personas is something to be on guard against, as the description goes on to describe Halsey as “the Queen of the Uncanny, the Mistress of Metamorphosis. Beware of the Great Impersonator!”

The diagnosis and treatment process infused her writing process for the album as she unpacked in her Britney Spears-esque song “Lucky.” The early 2000s-inspired song appeared to dissect the pressure of her illness compounded with the weight of her fame.

The refrain “Cause I’m so lucky, I’m a star” was surrounded by the anxiety of pursuing fame and accompanying scrutiny of strangers online, like the criticisms of her fluctuating weight due to treatment or shaving her head for the fifth time in her life.

Pulling inspiration from iconic musicians like David Bowie, Fiona Apple and Dolly Parton, Halsey seamlessly slips between genres, performing the 70s Fleetwood Mac-inspired “Panic Attack” as an ode to Stevie Nicks as Halsey equates falling in love to an oncoming panic attack.

Examining her journey through motherhood, “I Believe in Magic” is another love letter to Halsey’s 3-year-old son, Ender. A tribute to Linda Ronstadt, Halsey examines the early years of her son’s life while she was sick and her own relationship with her mother. Beautiful and emotional, the song is a testament to her love for her son and her mother. 

“And I remind myself a time will come when he sees me turn gray/ And realizes too late / Like I did with my mother / So now I tell her to her face / With all my roots above / and all my branches down below / Please tell my mom I love her so,” said Halsey in the second verse of “I Believe in Magic.”

Throughout the shifting genres of the album, Halsey addresses her anxiety about treating her illness while being a single mother. The voice of her son is woven throughout certain songs, like in “Letter to God (1998)” where the singer begs a higher power to answer her questions and intervene — Do people love her or her fame? Why make her so sick now that she is a mother?

Another highlight of the album is “Dog Years,” the third track on the album. The first verse plays into Halsey’s struggles through the treatment process and sets the tone for the grunge-rock ballad inspired by PJ Harvey saying, “They said I have a universal blood type/ I can give to anyone in need/ But only receive from someone exactly like me.”

Continuing with references to blood types and treatment the song reflects the darkest aspects of chronic illness, as Halsey likens themself to a lame horse that needs to be put down. The lyrics sound like a dog lashing out in anger and confusion as the songwriter expresses her frustrations as her health worsens.

Despite the wide-ranging genres of the album, “The Great Impersonator” is a cohesive and vulnerable journey through Halsey’s two-year struggle with her health, fame and motherhood. There is a song for everyone on the album, no matter your music taste, each unpacking an aspect of growing older and withstanding change.