After the neon watercolour wildness of Manic, Halsey embraced a completely new era of art with her fourth studio album, If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power. Abbreviated as IICHLIWP, the new album — produced by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross — is an examination of pregnancy and childbirth, which makes it fitting that the cover art, taken by Luca Garrido, depicts the singer as a combination of "the Madonna [1] and the Wh*re," challenging the idea that women must be perceived as either saintly virgins or sexual deviants.
Following the birth of their first child with boyfriend Alev Aydin [2], Halsey described If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power as a "concept album about the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth." In an Instagram caption on July 7, they continued, "It was very important to me [3] that the cover art conveyed the sentiment of my journey over the past few months. The dichotomy of the Madonna and the Wh*re. The idea that me as a sexual being and my body as a vessel and gift to my child are two concepts that can co-exist peacefully and powerfully. My body has belonged to the world in many different ways the past few years, and this image is my means of reclaiming my autonomy and establishing my pride and strength as a life force for my human being." She added that the cover art is meant to celebrate the beauty of pregnant and postpartum bodies. "We have a long way to go with eradicating the social stigma around bodies & breastfeeding," they said. "I hope this can be a step in the right direction!"
In addition to releasing the full album on 27 Aug., Halsey released an accompanying film directed by American filmmaker Colin Tilley, which features music from the album. The film had a limited release in IMAX cinemas the week the album dropped, but now fans will be able to experience it in its entirety from home. On Wednesday, HBO Max announced their acquisition of the film, which will be available on the streaming service starting 7 Oct.
Ahead of the film's release, you can listen to If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power for yourself, ahead.
