It’s 2014. You’re on Tumblr. The aesthetic is grainy, monochromatic, and deeply emotional. In the middle of that whirlwind, a song titled Is There Somewhere by a then-unknown artist named Halsey starts circulating. It wasn’t just a track; it was a vibe that shifted the trajectory of indie-pop.
I remember the first time I heard it. The synth pad was airy, almost ghostly. Then that voice hit—raspy, vulnerable, and incredibly specific. It didn't sound like the polished pop on the radio. It sounded like a secret shared in a dimly lit bedroom at 3:00 AM.
Honestly, if you want to understand the Halsey we see today—the stadium-filling, boundary-pushing powerhouse—you have to go back to this specific moment. Is There Somewhere Halsey isn't just a search term; it’s a portal to the origin story of Ashley Nicolette Frangipane.
Why Is There Somewhere Still Hits Different
Most pop songs are about the "happily ever after" or the "devastating breakup." This song exists in the messy, uncomfortable middle. It’s about a hotel room, a person who belongs to someone else, and the desperate, quiet plea for a space where that doesn't matter.
"You're a revolution," she sings. It's a heavy line. It’s also incredibly intimate.
The production on the Room 93 EP, where this track lives, was intentionally claustrophobic. It was meant to feel like a hotel room. That’s not just marketing fluff; you can hear it in the reverb. The song uses a minimalist electronic backdrop that allows the lyrics to breathe. It’s a masterclass in "less is more."
People often forget how radical this felt in the mid-2010s. We were coming off the back of high-energy EDM-pop. Suddenly, here’s this girl talking about "the freckles on your arm" and "the way you look when you're asleep." It was hyper-specific. That specificity is exactly why it resonated.
The Lyrics: A Breakdown of the "In-Between"
Let’s look at that bridge. "I'm sorry, but I fell in love tonight. I didn't mean to fall in love tonight."
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It’s simple. Almost too simple. But that’s the point. Love isn't always a grand symphony; sometimes it's a mistake you make in a hotel room in a city you're just passing through. Halsey has always been an open book about her life, and this song was the first chapter.
She wrote it when she was a teenager. Think about that. The emotional intelligence required to capture that specific "third person in a relationship" dynamic without falling into clichés is rare. It’s why fans still scream these lyrics louder than the radio hits during her live sets.
The Room 93 Connection
You can't talk about Is There Somewhere Halsey without mentioning the Room 93 concept. The EP was a visual and sonic journey through hotel rooms. Why hotels? Because they are transitory spaces. Nobody lives in a hotel. You’re just a guest.
This mirrors the relationship described in the song.
- The setting is temporary.
- The emotions are permanent.
- The conflict is inevitable.
The music video—if you can even call it that, it’s more of a short film—features Halsey and model Christian Caranza. It’s grainy. It looks like it was shot on a handheld camera. It captures that sense of being watched and being completely alone at the same time.
It was a low-budget masterpiece. It proved that you didn't need a million-dollar production if you had a story people actually cared about.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Era
There’s a common misconception that Halsey was "manufactured" by a label to fit the Tumblr aesthetic. That’s just plain wrong. If anything, she created the aesthetic that labels then tried to copy for years.
Before the record deal with Astralwerks, Halsey was just Ashley, posting poems and song snippets on the internet. She was a fan first. She understood the community because she was part of it. When Is There Somewhere dropped, it didn't feel like a product. It felt like one of our own had finally made it.
She’s spoken often about how this song was the one that "started it all." It wasn't "New Americana." It wasn't "Closer." It was this quiet, pulsing synth track about a complicated night.
The Evolution: From Room 93 to Stadiums
How does a song like this evolve? Interestingly, Halsey has kept it in her setlists for almost a decade. But the way she performs it has changed.
In the beginning, it was performed with just a laptop and a microphone. Now, it’s often backed by a full band, sometimes with a string section. Yet, the core remains the same. The audience goes silent. The phone lights come out. It’s a communal moment of vulnerability.
I’ve talked to fans who have seen her twenty times, and they all say the same thing: Is There Somewhere is the soul of the show. It’s the reminder of where she came from.
Comparisons to Peers
Think about what Lorde was doing with Pure Heroine or what Lana Del Rey was doing with Born to Die. Halsey fit into that "sad girl pop" wave, but she was more aggressive. She was more "Jersey." There was a grit to her lyrics that felt more grounded in reality than the cinematic dreamscapes of Lana or the suburban observations of Lorde.
Halsey’s work was urban. It was dirty. It was the sound of a 19-year-old on the L train at 2:00 AM.
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The Technical Side of the Track
For the music nerds out there, the song is actually quite interesting from a production standpoint. It’s mostly built on a repeating four-chord progression, but the tension is built through the layers of vocals.
- The lead vocal is dry and close to the mic.
- The harmonies are heavily processed with "shimmer" reverb.
- The percussion is a simple, muffled kick and snare that sounds like a heartbeat.
This isn't an accident. The "heartbeat" rhythm is a classic songwriting trick to induce anxiety and intimacy simultaneously. It makes the listener feel like they are right there in the room, holding their breath so they don't wake up the person next to them.
Impact on the Fanbase
The "Halsey Family" or "Badlands" community basically grew up with this song. For many, it was the first time they heard their own messy, non-linear relationships reflected in music. It gave people permission to be "the other person" or to be confused about their feelings without being judged.
There is a certain "lightning in a bottle" quality to Is There Somewhere Halsey that is hard to replicate. You can tell when an artist is trying to write a "meaningful" song. This didn't feel like that. It felt like an entry from a journal that we weren't supposed to see.
How to Experience the Song Today
If you’re new to Halsey or only know her from the radio, you need to go back and listen to the Room 93 version. Don't just put it on in the background while you're doing dishes.
- Put on headphones. You need to hear the panned whispers.
- Watch the original video. It sets the mood perfectly.
- Look up the lyrics. Really read them. They’re poetry.
The song has aged remarkably well. Unlike some of the high-gloss pop of 2014, the minimalist production keeps it from sounding "dated." It could be released today and still feel fresh.
Actionable Steps for Music Lovers
If this deep dive into Is There Somewhere has moved you, there are a few things you can do to explore this era of music further:
- Listen to the "Room 93" EP in full. It’s a short project, only four songs, but it’s a cohesive narrative. It tells a story that "Badlands" eventually expanded on.
- Check out the "Is There Somewhere" live versions from the "Manic" tour. The arrangements are stunning and show how much her vocal control has improved over the years.
- Explore the artists who influenced this sound. Halsey often cites The 1975, Brand New, and Alanis Morissette as influences. You can hear threads of all of them in this track.
- Read her poetry book, "I Would Leave Me If I Could." It captures the same raw, unfiltered energy found in her early songwriting.
Ultimately, Is There Somewhere Halsey remains a landmark in modern pop. It’s the sound of an artist finding their voice and a generation finding their anthem. It’s messy, it’s loud (emotionally), and it’s undeniably real. Whether you’ve heard it a thousand times or you’re just discovering it now, its power lies in its honesty. It reminds us that there is always somewhere for those of us who feel like we don't quite fit in.
Go back. Listen again. Pay attention to the silence between the notes. That’s where the magic is.