Halsey's 'If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power' Film To Stream On HBO Max
By Emily Lee
October 6, 2021
Back in August, Halsey released their fourth studio album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power. The project includes thirteen tracks, including 'I am not a woman, I’m a god,' and detailed Halsey's experience with pregnancy and childbirth.
In addition to the music, Halsey created an accompanying film experience for the album. On Wednesday (October 6), Halsey announced the If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power film has been acquired by HBO Max after a limited theatrical run in IMAX theaters, which broke nearly $1M at the box office after selling out in 70+ theaters globally.
"I’m so excited to announce that starting tomorrow, October 7th, you can watch my album film “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power” on [HBO Max]!!!!!" Halsey wrote on Instagram.
According to a press release, this "one-of-a-kind" film experience stars Halsey as the "young and pregnant Queen Lila. After a shocking event, Lila unlocks a paranormal power within and discovers her ability to create life (and end it)." Described as an "evocative, horror-tinged fairytale" that explores the "labyrinth of sexuality and birth," the film was written and produced by Halsey and directed by Colin Tilley.
“I’ve always wanted to make that kind of a record that was unapologetic and just didn’t care about chart success or trends or whatever,” Halsey explained during a recent interview. “You have to remove yourself from popular media and be like ‘Okay, what do I want to write?’ and not ‘Is this going to sound good on the radio right now?’”
For Halsey, that meant exploring their pregnancy through music. “I knew I was anxious; I knew I was worried about the future, I knew I was reckoning with this hypothetical loss of autonomy or innocence, or whatever it was,” they continued.
Halsey wanted the album to feel as "tense and anxious" as possible. "There are stakes, and it needs to be visceral and palpable," they added. To create that feeling, Halsey turned to Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross to produce the album. The 'Bad at Love' singer called the collaboration a "dream come true.'
If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power is available to stream beginning on Thursday (October 7).