HALSEY EPISODE LEADS SNL RATINGS

With ratings in from last week’s Saturday Night Live—hosted by the red-hot Jason Sudeikis and featuring performances by Brandi Carlile—the 10/9 episode boasting Halsey as musical guest can still claim the season’s biggest numbers. The Capitol star used the broadcast (hosted by Kim Kardashian) to perform tracks from her critically acclaimed album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, a collaboration with Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails.

Halsey opened her latest SNL foray with lead single “I am not a woman, I’m a god,” a pulsating number layered with synths, descending scales and sequenced drums, and closed the show with an intimate rendition of “Darling,” ably assisted by the legendary Lindsay Buckingham on acoustic guitar.

If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power underscores Halsey’s depth as an artist, one who can pivot from pop smashes to arena-worthy alt rock with aplomb. This has, in fact, been a career-defining year for the woman born Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, with pundits prognosticating that If I Can't Have Love will be a frontrunner in the Grammys' Alternative/Rock categories and a contender for Album of the Year.

Relive the performances from Halsey's fifth SNL appearance below.