How Halsey ruled the world BEFORE releasing debut Badlands

In just one year Halsey has gone from making music in her New Jersey bedroom to selling out arenas.

The 20-year-old has gathered hundreds of thousands of followers before even releasing her debut album, which is finally out.

She attracted a pretty impressive crowd outside Radio 1's studios when she came in for this interview.

So how did Ashley Nicolette Frangipane get so big? And on her own terms too?

"Ghost was the first song I ever cut," she tells Newsbeat. It's also the one that caught the eye of the record industry.

She already had an online following and decided to put the track up.

By the next day she was getting her friend Anthony to pretend to be her manager and accompany her to six different label meetings.

"Every one said, 'We're going to put you in development and make you this kind of artist' and I said 'no, no, what do you think this is?'.

"If I am going to do this I am going to do this my way."

See Halsey with her fans outside of BBC Radio 1

At the time the aspiring singer had very little money so the offer to take a deal was tempting - but she stuck to her instincts and didn't sign anything for six months.

Halsey is now on Astralwerks, an imprint of Capitol Records, which gave her time to make the album she had in her head - a concept record about a dystopian world.

Halsey at SXSW in Austin, Texas, where she was one of the most talked about artists

Badlands was written in various parts of the world including London and Hay on Wye in Wales, where she says she felt very "removed from society".

"I was staying in this castle, it was really bizarre and having this internal conflict," she says.

"I'm 20 years old, I am overseas alone, I have never left my country before and I have to make an album that's going to make or break me - or so I am told.

"There was nothing around for miles; just fog, sheep and mud, I'm thinking, 'I need to be inspired and there's no life around me' so I had no choice but to write about myself."

See Ed Sheeran's tweet about Halsey

The album is out now and she describes its arrival as like giving birth and hoping that when it comes out, it will be OK with "all its fingers and toes".

There have been comparisons to Lana Del Rey and Lorde but her vocal is not as sultry as Lana and not as grungy as Lorde.

Halsey admits her shows are "kind of pop" but she's alternative, urban with a punk rock spirit too.

Her parents introduced her to Biggie Smalls, Tupac, Run DMC, Nirvana, Alanis Morissette and Tori Amos as she was growing up.

Two of them are name checked on her latest track New Americana, which could be the big hit of the album.

Halsey performing live on US TV show Jimmy Kimmel live

Halsey has already been on US talk show Jimmy Kimmel and was one of the most talked-about artists at annual music conference SXSW in Austin, Texas.

She counts 5SOS as her mates and even Ed Sheeran is on board - he recently revealed he is a fan.

But it's the power of her self-built fan base that excites and surprises her the most.

"For me it is initially shocking, being an artist, to go to countries I have never been to and people know who I am and they know my music," she explains.

Halsey already had hundreds of thousands of followers on social media

"It affirms for me I am doing my job as a songwriter because it means I am writing music that connects across the board.

"It also shows a revolution for this generation, you don't need a promo plan and all this media."

Although she is quick to point out she actually enjoys doing "all this media".

But she believes it also shows the power of young adults and "the information they receive on the internet and how quickly they can spread that information".

"It's cool for what it means beyond music, it means these young adults know more than what the media is telling them."

Badlands by Halsey is out now

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