5 Clues Halsey’s ‘Without Me’ Video Is About Ex-Boyfriend G-Eazy
Halsey's new music video for "Without Me" premiered Monday afternoon (October 29), and there are a number of obvious references to her ex-boyfriend G-Eazy throughout.
The on-again, off-again couple are apparently off again. Halsey and G-Eazy reportedly broke up in late October for "the second time in just over three months," according to TMZ. The site referred to the fact that the pair unfollowed each other on Instagram as evidence of their breakup. The "Him & I" collaborators initially split up in July after dating for just over a year. They then reconciled in August and were inseparable up until recently.
While neither artist has publicly addressed the newest breakup rumors, here are five not-so-hidden clues spotted in the "Without Me" video that could confirm it's about Halsey and G-Eazy's relationship and subsequent breakup.
1. The G-Eazy Look-Alike
The actor who plays Halsey's love interest in the video is basically G-Eazy's doppelgänger. From his hairstyle down to his signature white T-shirt and black leather jacket, the spot-on details might just make you do a double take.
2. The Nightclub Scene
The video is made up of intense shots of Halsey and her lover. They go from passionately making out in the shower, to physically fighting in the living room. Halsey is shown helping her stumbling man out of a nightclub, and is later seen in handcuffs. The boyfriend character is then taken into the back of a police car. The video ends with Halsey walking away from her boyfriend amid the flashing blue and red lights from the cop car, where he is still being held. This is an obvious nod to the nightclub brawl in Sweden that led to G-Eazy's arrest back in May of this year. Halsey was present during the fight and subsequent arrest.
3. The Theme of Alcoholism
Alcohol is a recurring motif in the video. The fictional "Without Me" couple's toxic relationship is based around heavy drinking and drunken fighting. There's a shot of the two doing what look like Jägerbombs, and shortly after, the guy has his head in the toilet while Halsey comforts him. There are also more subtle signs of a problem — like the camera focusing on an empty beer bottle or a red rose in a beer can.
4. The A Star Is Born Comparisons
Halsey makes a cameo as herself in A Star Is Born, presenting Lady Gaga's character, Ally, with an American Music Award. During a red carpet interview, Halsey (who was born Ashley Frangipane) said: "I was talking to people a lot about this ever since I've seen A Star Is Born. I think that sometimes people make you feel bad for being 'dramatic.' But part of being an artist is wanting to be dramatic. Maybe Halsey is like the done-up star with the dancers and the costumes and whatever else, and Ashley is a little more reserved, the writer, a little more quiet... The girl from New Jersey."
While Halsey has not suggested that G-Eazy is in the same kind of trouble as Bradley Cooper's character, her identifying with Gaga's Ally brings up other possible comparisons between the fictional film and Halsey's life. In the movie, Ally is in a tumultuous relationship with Cooper's Jackson Maine, a singer and alcoholic.
5. Halsey's Tweet
Halsey tweeted to her fans letting them know that the "Without Me" video is out, and attached a screenshot of a note she wrote about the story behind the video. "The story is a reflection of a combination of relationships I've been in, or watched the people I love go through," she wrote. "As always, art is meant to be left to interpretation. If you see your story in this, I hope you hear me speaking to you loud and clear."