Halsey has claimed that her label is holding a new song hostage until she can “fake” a viral TikTok, according to NME. The singer—who released their latest album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power last year—took to her TikTok page to say in a post titled “I’m tired” that there is new music she wants to release “ASAP,” but the label won’t let her share the new song.

“My record company is saying that I can’t release it unless they can fake a viral moment on TikTok,” Halsey said. “Everything is marketing,” they added. “And they [the label] are doing this to basically every artist these days.”

This type of marketing and promotion via social media have been a new norm for artists over the last few years. It’s something that has been done to increase exposure and, ultimately, sales. But that doesn’t mean artists are happy about it.

For most musicians, their music is a form of self-expression. An authentic and personal connection to their art is important to them. So, when they are told by their label to do things that they feel are inauthentic, misleading, or even manipulative, it can be frustrating.

It’s not clear what Halsey’s label’s specific demands were, but it seems they wanted her to stage a fake viral moment on TikTok to get more exposure – a common marketing tactic used to get a product or service in front of more people.

The problem with this tactic is that it can backfire. If people find out that an artist is faking it, they could lose respect for them. In this case, it could damage Halsey’s relationship with her fans. It could also conflict with the artist’s morals. You can catch a snippet of the unreleased song in the TikTok below.

@halseyI’m tired

♬ original sound – Halsey