Halsey's illness sparked 'dark' hobby – 'couldn't even open the envelope'

Halsey admitted that her poor health led to a “dark” hobby.

In an interview with Paper In a magazine article published on Thursday, the “Without Me” singer, whose real name is Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, said: “When I was sick, I was making miniature dollhouses.”

Although the 29-year-old did not elaborate on which disease she was referring to, she has been open about her health condition in the past. In June, the Grammy nominee shared a message on Instagram saying they are “lucky to be alive” and tagged the Lupus Research Alliance, a nonprofit that funds lupus research, as well as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, a charity that funds blood cancer research.

In 2022, Halsey – who uses the pronouns she/them – was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Sjögren's syndrome, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), [and] Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) after previously disclosing her endometriosis and bipolar disorder diagnoses.

“It was something I could do indoors, and it was something I could do that was creative, and it was something quiet that I could do when my son was sleeping,” Halsey said Paper of miniature dollhouses. The pop star welcomed her son Ender Ridley Aydin with her then-boyfriend Alev Aydin in 2021.

“Of course I couldn't go out, I couldn't drink and I couldn't be in social circles. I was at home a lot and I just heard about dollhouses and loved it. It was great for me too because I had a lot of trouble with my motor skills. My fine motor skills weren't that good. When I was sick I couldn't even open an envelope or peel a sticker off something. I had to concentrate and be diligent about my fine motor skills, which I really wanted to maintain,” she said.

The Singing 2 The actress added that she “wanted to be able to play the piano and guitar” and was “so obsessed with it.”

“I started building furniture from scratch and then making my own wallpaper. I guess it's actually quite dark when you think about it because I was creating these tiny parallel worlds because I really didn't want to be alone, which is so exhilarating. I definitely think that was part of it,” Halsey said.

Halsey noted that she wanted to “say something really heavy and intense” but wasn't sure if she should.

“I just felt so damn ugly the whole time I was sick. I couldn't look at myself,” the New Jersey native continued. “I didn't look in the mirror for months unless I had a contact lens in my eye. I was just unrecognizable. I didn't like looking at myself. It was horrible and totally threw me off, and just sitting there and playing with these beautiful little things was so much nicer.”

Halsey's other hobbies include writing poetry and painting, but she said she enjoys doing something that is just for her.

“Dollhouse work was about making something and spending a lot of time on it so that no one sees it and it doesn't belong to the world, just like that. I loved it so much,” she said.

Newsweek I emailed Halsey's team for further comment.

Back in 2015, the “Colors” singer announced that she had suffered a miscarriage during a tour, just hours before her performance.

“I was damn overworked,” she said Rolling Stone at the time. “In the hospital every couple of weeks because I was dehydrated and had to have IVs brought to my lounge. I was anemic, I would pass out. My body just broke down.”