‘SNL’: Halsey Wows Audiences With Showstopping Performances

Halsey is no longer a fresh face at Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, and she made her third appearance on Saturday Night Live this weekend. The 25-year-old “Without Me” singer released her third album, Manic, last week and is preparing to launch a world tour. Before she heads out on the road though, fans were excited to see her perform two new songs during SNL.

Halsey previously appeared on SNL in February 2019, when she hosted and performed during an episode. She performed during Sam Rockwell’s episode in 2018. That same year, she made an unannounced appearance with Lil’ Wayne for a performance of “Can’t Be Broken.”

This time, Halsey is only performing, with Marriage Story star Adam Driver hosting. She did make an appearance in the pre-taped “Take It Slow” musical sketch. Halsey’s first performance was “You Should Be Sad.”

Halsey’s SNL performance comes after a tumultuous week for the singer. She made headlines earlier this week when she unintentionally called for the “collapse” of One World Trade Center when she complained about Pitchfork‘s mixed review of Manic. The website’s office is located inside the tower standing where the Twin Towers once were.

“ABSOLUTELY deleted it upon realizing this,” Halsey wrote in a now-deleted tweet after she received criticism for her original post. “Was just trying to make a joke! Intended zero harm. Just figured I could poke at them back with the same aloof passive aggression they poke at artists with! Clearly a misunderstanding.”

In response to the extra attention the incident received, Halsey later simply tweeted “click bait garbage.” Moments later, she showed she was ready to move on though, tweeting, “These SNL performances are my favorite things that have ever happened.”

Manic includes “Without Me,” which became Halsey’s first solo single to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart. “Graveyard” and “You Should Be Sad” were also released as singles before the album hit stores.

“When I made Manic, I dove into those parts of me that weren’t healed yet and I said, ‘No, I’m not gonna wait ’til later. I’m gonna write about them right now,” Halsey said at Capitol Records headquarters on Jan. 17, reports Billboard. “It was the most rewarding thing that I have ever done because you guys have been so unconditionally accepting of that, so thank you for being accepting of me.”

During that appearance, Halsey performed “929,” which she called the “most uncensored song I have ever written in my life.”

Halsey’s Manic World Tour kicks off in Spain on Feb. 6. The North American leg is scheduled to start in June, with CHVRCHES, Omar Apollo, blackbear and PVRIS as opening acts.

SNL airs at 11:30 p.m. ET Saturdays on NBC.

Photo credit: NBC