The Journey Of Halsey: From Struggles To Stardom

Many stars have a rough road to fame, and this was certainly the case for Halsey. The 27-year-old singer was born Ashley Nicolette Frangipane on September 29, 1994, in Edison, New Jersey. Halsey is the daughter of Chris and Nicole Frangipane, and the older sister of Sevian and Dane Frangipane. Halsey’s parents have become so proud of all that the Grammy-nominee has accomplished. The couple have also become grandparents to Halsey’s son, Ender Ridley, who was born in July 2021.

Halsey has a good relationship with their parents now — but that wasn’t always the case. In fact, Halsey was kicked out of the house by Chris and Nicole after dropping out of college. Below, learn about Halsey’s parents and the singer’s complicated upbringing.

Halsey’s Parents, Chris & Nicole Frangipane

Halsey’s dad, Chris Frangipane, manages a car dealership. He is of African-American and Irish ancestry. The singer’s mother, Nicole Frangipane, works as an EMT and is of Hungarian and Italian descent. Chris and Nicole dropped out of college when they learned that Nicole was pregnant with Halsey. To make ends meet, the couple worked several jobs at once like as a hospital clerk, a security guard, and car salesman while moving around a lot, according to Rolling Stone. Halsey has previously mentioned, “I grew up in a really chaotic household.”

As a child, Halsey began getting into drugs while enduring bullying at school, which led to a suicide attempt at the age of 17. Chris and Nicole learned about the attempt from Halsey, and they responded by sending their daughter to a psychiatric hospital for 17 days. Halsey was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the time — as was Nicole. Halsey has previously said that as a child, they’d be fed ice cream for dinner during Nicole’s manic episodes.

Halsey eventually graduated from Warren Hills Regional High School in Washington, NJ, in 2012, and then enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Design. However, Halsey dropped out because of financial difficulties and enrolled in community college. But when they dropped out of community college, Halsey was kicked out of the house by their parents. They then lived in basements in NJ and NYC with a group of “degenerate stoners” that they met through their then-boyfriend of two years. Halsey has shared, “I remember one time I had $9 in my bank account, and bought a four-pack of Red Bull and used it to stay up overnight over the course of two or three days.”

Eventually, Halsey pursued music and became the famed singer we know today. During that time period, Halsey was able to make amends with their parents, though the details on how that came to be are unknown. In 2020, Halsey told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, “Families go through cycles, and my father and I have a really great relationship now.”

In recent years, Halsey has publicly acknowledged their parents on social media. For example, they took to Instagram to wish their dad Chris a happy birthday in September 2020, stating, “Your most special day of the year, since I was born 4 days after your birthday and demanded all the attention of that week ever since.” Halsey also took Chris as their date to the 2017 Grammy Awards, further highlighting their now strong family bond.

Meanwhile, Nicole joined Halsey at the Billboard’s Women in Music red carpet event in New York City on December 9, 2016. The mother-daughter duo posed for photos together and both looked stunning. Nicole wore a black dress for the event, while Halsey stunned in a cut-out white gown. Reports indicate that Halsey and Nicole also have matching tattoos together.