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Pop Culture

Who is Mallsey? How Halsey’s early career moment became a meme

Mallsey walked so Halsey can run.

Photo of Angela Andaloro

Angela Andaloro

mallsey

Halsey has had an impressive career; the next chapter is just beginning.

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Whether you’ve been a fan since the Badlands days, jumped in when “Without Me” became an inescapable earworm, or just heard her newest single, “Lucky,” there’s a lot of appreciation for the singer.

Fans of the artist know that they’ve worked hard to get to where they are today. Any look at her career, of course, brings back fond memories.

For some, that’s Mallsey.

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Who is Mallsey?

Mallsey is the nickname Halsey was christened with after a video of the singer as a teen performing in a New Jersey mall went viral. Halsey, who goes by she/they pronouns, grew up in the area and would try to get noticed by busting into song at some of her teen hangouts.

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In the clip, a pink-haired teenage Halsey sings a bit of Blink-182‘s “I Miss You.”

@dylangg

and then Mallsey was born 🤩

♬ original sound – Dylan G.

Halsey addressed the moment in an August 2020 tweet. She notes the Mallsey moment happened when she “was a teenager” who had “never sang in front of people like that before.” While she knows fans and foes alike poke fun at the awkward moment, she looks back at it as “sort of sweet.” It’s clear they see it as part of their journey to where they are today.

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Halsey also hasn’t been afraid to poke fun at their now-viral Mallsey moment over the years.

In countless videos, she’s seen being a good sport as fans recreate the moment. They’ve also shared and joked about it themselves in a number of social media posts throughout the years.

https://twitter.com/concertleaks/status/1816570957835960599
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Halsey singing “in cursive”

Fans have laughed along and joked about how Halsey was a big fan of “singing in cursive. The term pokes fun at the annunciation and breathwork that’s popular among indie singers.

https://twitter.com/balletslut/status/1158663142727200768
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However, many feel Halsey is one of the biggest breakthrough cursive singers.

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Mallsey was clearly a cursive moment. While there are a lot of comments about her style, it’s clear it’s a favorite of her many devoted fans.

Mallsey Memes

Let’s dive into Mallsey memes across the web.

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@100percentthattim This video lives rent free in my head #halsey #mallsey #2010sthrowback #2010sfashion #2010sinternet #impression #parody #comedy #2010smusic #blink182 ♬ original sound – 100percentthattim
@uglybound #mallsey #halsey #katyperry #americanidol #floptok #flop #fyp #foryou #foryoupage ♬ original sound – uglybound
@chronichanna #greenscreen #mallsey #halsey #halseyfan #blink182 #poppunk #itsnotaphasemom #emo #halseysongs #tumblr #2014 ♬ original sound – CHRONIC HANNA
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@thickskulll It took everything in me not to laugh I LOVE this video #fyp #mallsey ♬ original sound – Salazar Beech
@lrnsscndlife Replying to @haily (Taylor’s Version) ♬ original sound – Lauren Cantrell
@lanadelrey0811 #halsey #stantwitter #cursive #mallsey #fyp ♬ original sound – blair hynds
@luisalangeisajoke #greenscreen Halsey sings at the mallsey #halsey #musicalcomedy #singer #cover #funnycovers #blink182 ♬ original sound – Luisa Lange
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@jessicastahle31 I’m a Halsey Stan I swear #mallsey #hasey #imissyou #blink182imissyou #blink182 #halseyperformances ♬ original sound – Jessica Stahle


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