Halsey Shares Mystery Illness and New Album: “I’m Lucky to Be Alive”

Halsey revealed Tuesday that they have been privately battling an undisclosed illness for a long period of time, sharing a series of clips showing them receiving medical treatments. The singer, 29, also released a new single, “The End,” and announced that a new album would be coming soon.

“Long story short, I’m lucky to be alive,” Halsey wrote in the caption of an Instagram carousel. “Short story long, I wrote an album.”

In the first video clip of the carousel, they are shown sitting and massaging their legs, wearing a beanie and lounge clothes, with a medical device visible on the back of one arm and a bandage above her elbow.

“I feel like an old lady,” Halsey tells whoever is behind the camera in the clip. “I told myself I’m giving myself two more years to be sick. By 30 I’m having a rebirth, and I’m not gonna be sick, and I’m gonna look super hot and have lots of energy and I’m just gonna re-do my 20s in my 30s. Seriously.”

In the next slide, Halsey is shown wearing a mask and sitting in a chair, appearing to be receiving an infusion. “Today is day one of treatment,” they narrate.

Other quick clips show Halsey singing and receiving treatments, pictured in a studio, a hospital bed, and other facilities.

In the post, Halsey tagged the Instagram accounts for the Lupus Research Alliance and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in her post’s caption. The Associated Press reported that Halsey has donated to both organizations.

In “The End,” their new acoustic track, lyrics reference illness and treatment with lines such as “Every couple of years now, a doctor says I’m sick / Pulls out a brand new bag of tricks / And then they lay it on me / And at first, it was my brain, then a skeleton in pain / And I don’t like to complain, but I’m saying sorry.”

On Wednesday, Halsey thanked fans on Instagram for the “unbelievable amount of love” for ‘The End’ and the support” following its release before sharing more details about their illness.

“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. You’ve all been so kind so I want to share a bit more,” she wrote. “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. After a rocky start, I slowly got everything under control with the help of amazing doctors. After 2 years, I’m feeling better and I’m more grateful than ever to have music to turn to. I can’t wait to get back where I belong: With you all 🤍 Singing and screaming my heart out.”

In 2022, Halsey shared that after giving birth to son Ender in July 2021, she had been diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Sjogren’s syndrome, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). They have also been public about their struggle with endometriosis. They described themselves as being “allergic to literally everything” and in 2022 said they have been at the very least “kind of” sick for “most of my adult life.” She walked the red carpet at the 2022 Grammys just four days after a surgery, and her first trip to the awards ceremony, in 2017, was just three days post-op.

The title and release date for Halsey’s new album, their first since 2021’s If I Can’t Have Love, Then I Want Power, have not yet been announced.