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Finally // Beautiful Stranger

"Finally // Beautiful Stranger"
Promotional single by Halsey
from the album Manic
B-side"Suga's Interlude"
ReleasedDecember 6, 2019 (2019-12-06)
GenreCountry rock[1]
Length3:41
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Greg Kurstin
Halsey promotional singles chronology
"Clementine"
(2019) 		"Finally // Beautiful Stranger"
(2019) 		"Suga's Interlude"
(2019)
Music video
"Finally // Beautiful Stranger" on YouTube

"Finally // Beautiful Stranger" (stylized in sentence case)[2][3][4] is a song by American singer Halsey. It was released on December 6, 2019 through Capitol Records as the second promotional single from her third studio album, Manic (2020). The song was released simultaneously with the album's third promotional single "Suga's Interlude".[5][6]

On January 25, 2020, Halsey performed "Finally // Beautiful Stranger" on Saturday Night Live.[7]

Background

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The song was announced on December 3, 2019 through social media.[8] In an Instagram livestream on December 3, 2019 Halsey announced that she was releasing two new songs and a music video on Friday December 6, 2019.[9] On December 5, 2019 she revealed that those two songs are "Finally // Beautiful Stranger" and "Suga's Interlude".[10] Halsey described both songs as "very different [...] very dreamy stories."[10] She revealed in an interview with Zane Lowe for Beats 1 that she wrote it at home in her living room at "two in the morning when I was dating Dom," thinking about the night that they met, written with just her voice and a guitar at first. She said that, after listening, her friends described it as "the best song I'd ever written".[11]

Critical reception

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Koltan Greenwood from Alternative Press described the song as a "moving, emotional song that explores first love and the emotions it causes".[12] Nina Corcoran of Consequence of Sound labeled the chorus the "real highlight", as Halsey "belts the title with some heartbreaking voice cracks".[13] Madeline Roth, writing for MTV News, described the track as a whole as a "country-tinged, guitar-led love song", noting that it sounded "a bit like Lady Gaga's 'You and I'".[5] In an article for E! News, Billy Nilles noted the track as a "true standout" and described the production as "stripped-back" with "gentle guitar" and as a "country-kissed little number that lets her vulnerabilities take center stage as she sings about first love".[14] Lexi Lane from Atwood Magazine praised the song and its lyrics, stating that the track puts "Halsey's songwriting talents to the forefront and is arguably her strongest song lyrically" and called the song as a whole "well-crafted".[15]

Music video

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A music video for the song was released on December 6, 2019.[16] The video was directed by Patrick Tracy and showcases Halsey performing the song on a guitar in two different bar settings.[17] As of June 2021, it has over 22 million views on YouTube.

Charts

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Chart (2019) Peak
position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[18] 11
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[19] 17
US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[20] 24
US Pop Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[21] 19

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[22] Gold 20,000‡
United States (RIAA)[23] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format Label Ref
Various December 6, 2019 Digital download, streaming Capitol
[24]

References

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  1. ^ Sheffield, Rob (January 14, 2020). "Halsey's 'Manic' is a Portrait of the Artist as a Young Mess". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  2. ^ "Finally // beautiful stranger". Spotify. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  3. ^ "Amazon Music - Browse Playlists". Amazon Music. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  4. ^ "Halsey: Finally // beautiful stranger - Music on Google Play". Google Play Music. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Roth, Madeline. "Halsey Falls For A 'Beautiful Stranger' And Reunites With Suga On Her Two New Songs". MTV News. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  6. ^ "Halsey Releases 'Finally//Beautiful Stranger' And 'Suga's Interlude'". Magic 98.3 FM. December 6, 2019. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  7. ^ Navaroli, Joel. "SNL Archives | Episodes | 01.25.2020 #14". SNL Archives. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  8. ^ "Twitter - "January 17, 2020"". Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  9. ^ "IG Lives - "Halsey | Instagram Live Stream | 3 December 2019"". December 3, 2019. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  10. ^ a b "Instagram - "I'm releasing 2 songs from Manic on Friday. "Finally // beautiful stranger" and "SUGA's Interlude". Two very different songs. Two very dreamy stories."". Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  11. ^ Manic by Halsey on Apple Music, Apple Music, archived from the original on April 15, 2020, retrieved January 18, 2020
  12. ^ Greenwood, Koltan (December 6, 2019). "Halsey Explores First Love in Moving "Finally // Beautiful Stranger" Video". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  13. ^ "Halsey shares new songs "Suga's Interlude" and "Finally // Beautiful Stranger": Stream". Consequence of Sound. December 6, 2019. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  14. ^ Nilles, Billy (December 6, 2019). "The MixtapE! Presents Harry Styles, Camila Cabello and More New Music". E! News. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  15. ^ Lane, Lexi (December 13, 2019). "Halsey Displays Duality in New Songs "Finally // beautiful stranger" and "SUGA's Interlude"". Atwood Magazine. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  16. ^ "Halsey - Finally // beautiful stranger". December 5, 2019. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019 – via YouTube.
  17. ^ Murphy, Sarah. "Halsey Drops "Finally // Beautiful Stranger" Video". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  18. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. December 16, 2019. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  19. ^ "Halsey Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  20. ^ "Halsey Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  21. ^ "Halsey Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  22. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Halsey – Finally // Beautiful Stranger" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  23. ^ "American single certifications – Halsey – Finally // Beautiful Stranger". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  24. ^ "Spotify". Spotify. December 10, 2019. Archived from the original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.