Now more than ever, people are turning to the music and entertainment to keep them away from their anxious thoughts, and artists are delivering. Released May 8th, as a part 1 to a bigger story, Hailee Steinfield’s Album ‘Halfway Written Story’ has 5 tracks. This is her second body of work, released five years after her debut, called ‘Haiz’.

This feels like her most personal album yet. The songs all revolve around break-ups and love, and getting yourself back together after a relationship. It is a lot of pain and hurt, and feels very personal to the artist. It has no features or collaborations, and Hailee’s voice and individuality rings loud and clear. 

All 5 are very different from anything we’ve heard from the artist before. She spills out what she says is her half of the story, a relationship that fell apart as she was filming the TV show Dickinson. People were eager to see how filming as the famous American poet Emily Dickinson would affect her music, and in an interview with the Zach Sang Show, she mentioned that after having embodied a character so fearless and reckless with her writing, she couldn’t help but feel brave too. 

It is evident in the five tracks that Steinfield did not feel like holding back. Track number 4, Man Up, is particularly bitter, and is most different from what we’ve already seen from the 23-year-old actress/singer/songwriter. Out of the five songs, two of them are sampled from much older songs, which were hits on their own. “No More I Love You’s” is her version of Annie Lennox’s 1995 song by the same name, which itself was a cover by the 1986 duo ‘The Lover Speaks’. The song is about taking time for yourself after you get out of a relationship before stepping into the next. Track 3, ‘End This (L.O.V.E)’ is sampled from Nat King Cole’s iconic song LOVE. She puts her own this twist on these lyrics, singing instead about everything love is not meant to be.  

It feels like a good thing that newer and younger artists are taking their inspiration from the hits of the past. Nothing stays forever, but this is a good way of immortalizing the songs that defined music at the time.

Stiendifled has mentioned that these five tracks are only part 1 of more music that she is yet to release. Let’s hope that part 2 that lives up to this half of the story. While her acting career has taken her away from her music, Steifield seems to have returned to her mic for the time being. We can only wait and see what the talented starlet has for us.