"Strangers"
Promotional single by Halsey featuring Lauren Jauregui
from the album Hopeless Fountain Kingdom
ReleasedMay 26, 2017 (2017-05-26)
GenreSynth-pop[1]
Length3:41
LabelAstralwerks
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Greg Kurstin
Music video
"Strangers" on YouTube

"Strangers" is a song by American singer Halsey featuring Lauren Jauregui. It was released on May 26, 2017, through Astralwerks as the second promotional single from her second studio album, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (2017). The song received critical acclaim. Halsey later released a music video on June 20, 2018.

Background

The album's track listing was revealed on April 29, 2017, on Halsey's Instagram account, where it was first known that Halsey would collaborate with Fifth Harmony's Lauren Jauregui on a song called "Strangers".[2] In April, during several radio interviews that Halsey attended to promote the album, she further commented about the song:

I was thinking to myself, if I want this song to be believable, it needs to be real, so I'm not going to put a girl on the song to sing who's straight. I'm just not going to do it. So I reached out to Lauren and she came in and she cut the vocal and it sounds awesome. Our voices sound really cool together because we both have really raspy voices, mine's a little more delicate than hers. Hers is like really powerful and big and raspy, and mine is kind of like light and raspy. But it's really cool because I'm bisexual. I just love that Lauren and I are two women who have a mainstream pop presence doing a love song for the LGBT community, it's unheard of. It's very rare to see it from a female perspective.[3]

Composition

"Strangers" incorporates a 1980s-inspired production,[4] with echoed synthesizers and strong drumline[5][6] Analyzing its lyrical content Alexia Shouneya from Billboard wrote, "Strangers is about two women longing for one another,"[7] while Christina Lee of Idolator opined, "The lyrics actually tell a straightforward story about a dissolved relationship, and the loneliness that quickly follows."[8]

Critical reception

"Strangers" received critical acclaim.[9] AllMusic's journalist Stephen Thomas Erlewine noted that "same-sex love songs remain a rarity in the pop music of the 2010s, and ... that's a sly reveal of how Halsey represents a generational shift".[10] In her review for Billboard, Alexia Shouneya noted "in the first verse alone, she uses the female pronoun four times, once in every line, making it impossible to miss, skim over or interpret as anything other than what it was meant to be: a strong, unapologetic acknowledgement of lesbian and bisexual women."[7] Anna Caga of Spin believed that "Strangers" is the "best Halsey['s] song" and described it as "slinky and addicting", adding that its best moments are "Jauregui's ad-libs, the way she slurs the word 'innocent' with the kind of spontaneous passion Halsey never allows herself."[11] In Pitchfork, Katherine St. Asaph said the song "shimmers and yearns like a recent Tegan and Sara cut" and "contains the album's most nuanced lyrics, the coupling that's most promising yet most out of reach."[12]

Billboard ranked "Strangers" at number 97 on its critics list of the 100 Best Songs of 2017. Chris Payne wrote that it is Billboard staff's favorite song from the album, praising Halsey and Jauregui's chemistry and Jauregui's tone and delivery of "lovesick desperation".[13] Billboard regarded the song as a "long-overdue bisexual milestone in mainstream music."[14] In 2019, Billboard included the song in its list of the "30 Lesbian Love Songs".[15]

Live performances

Halsey and Jauregui performed "Strangers" on Today on June 9, 2017.[16] The following day, the two performed the song at iHeartSummer '17 Weekend in Miami Beach, Florida.[17] In June 2018, they performed the song on Good Morning America.[18]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Hopeless Fountain Kingdom.[19]

  • Halsey – vocals
  • Julian Burg – recording
  • Chris Gehringer – mastering
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing
  • John Hanes – engineering for mix
  • Lauren Jauregui – vocals
  • Ezra Kurstin – voices
  • Greg Kurstin – drum programming, drums, guitar, keyboards, production, recording
  • Alex Pasco – recording

Charts

Chart (2017–18) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[20] 93
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[21] 18
France (SNEP)[22] 137
New Zealand Heatseekers (RMNZ)[23] 3
Philippines (Philippine Hot 100)[24] 90
Portugal (AFP)[25] 57
Scotland (OCC)[26] 45
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[27] 89
US Billboard Hot 100[28] 100

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[29] Gold 30,000‡
United States (RIAA)[30] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Villa, Lucas (May 30, 2017). "Listen: Halsey and Fifth Harmony's Lauren Jauregui take on a girlfriend gone cold on 'Strangers'". AXS. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  2. ↑ Wass, Mike (April 28, 2017). "Halsey's 'hopeless fountain kingdom' Tracklist Reveals Surprise Features". Idolator. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  3. ↑ Wass, Mike (May 17, 2017). "Halsey & Lauren Jauregui's Duet Is 'A Love Song For The LGBT Community'". Idolator. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  4. ↑ Gaca, Anna (May 25, 2017). "Halsey – 'Strangers' (ft. Lauren Jauregui)". Spin. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Halsey & Lauren Jauregui Sing About Ex-girlfriends On Sexy 'Strangers' Song: Listen". Fuse. May 26, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  6. ↑ Weiss, Dan (June 7, 2017). "Halsey – Hopeless Fountain Kingdom". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Halsey & Lauren Jauregui's 'Strangers' Is a Long-Overdue Bisexual Milestone In Mainstream Music". Billboard. June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  8. ↑ Lee, Christina (May 26, 2017). "Halsey & Lauren Jauregui's Epic "Strangers" Arrives: Listen". Idolator. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Lauren Jauregui And Halsey Land Major Spotify Milestone". MTV (UK and Ireland). March 14, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  10. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Hopeless Fountain Kingdom – Halsey". AllMusic. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  11. ↑ ""Strangers" Is Halsey's Best Song". Spin. May 26, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  12. ↑ St. Asaph, Katherine (June 7, 2017). "Halsey: hopeless fountain kingdom". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  13. ↑ Billboard Staff (December 13, 2017). "Billboard's 100 Best Songs of 2017: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Halsey & Lauren Jauregui's 'Strangers' Is a Long-Overdue Bisexual Milestone in Mainstream Music". Billboard. June 6, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  15. ↑ Russell, Erica (February 13, 2019). "30 Lesbian Love Songs: Women Singing About Women (Updated 2019)". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  16. ↑ Bell, Sadie (June 9, 2017). "Lauren Jauregui Joins Halsey for 'Today Show' Performance". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Halsey Brings Out Lauren Jauregui For 'Strangers' During iHeartSummer '17". 103.5 KTU. June 10, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  18. ↑ Chochrek, Ella (2018-06-02). "Halsey Goes for White-Hot Look in Crop Top and Dr. Martens on 'Good Morning America'". Footwear News. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  19. ↑ Halsey (2017). Hopeless Fountain Kingdom (liner notes). Astralwerks. 2557562385.
  20. ↑ "ARIA Chart Watch #423". auspOp. June 3, 2017. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  21. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201851,52 into search. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  22. ↑ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles Téléchargés – SNEP (Week 22, 2017)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  23. ↑ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 5, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  24. ↑ "BillboardPH Hot 100 - June 19". Billboard Philippines. June 19, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Halsey feat. Lauren Jauregui – Strangers". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  27. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201723 into search. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  28. ↑ "Halsey Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Brazilian single certifications – Halsey – Strangers" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  30. ↑ "American single certifications – Halsey – Strangers". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
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