The short answer is that the public record does not establish what happened between Matty Healy and Halsey. Entertainment outlets reported a link between them around 2015, after Halsey attended a The 1975 concert, and Halsey made an oblique remark about the connection in an interview that year. No reviewed source documents a confirmed relationship, a breakup, or the reasons behind either. The title’s description of Halsey as Healy’s “ex-girlfriend” goes further than the reporting supports, so this article separates what was reported, what Halsey said, and what fans have speculated.
What the reporting says
The most detailed summary in the sources reviewed is Us Weekly’s relationship-history feature on Matty Healy, updated June 12, 2024. It says Healy was linked to Halsey in 2015 after she attended a The 1975 concert. ELLE Australia’s piece on Healy’s relationship history describes the same 2015 connection as a link, not as a relationship with a defined start or end. Both reports are secondary: they summarize earlier coverage rather than quoting either person about the state of their relationship.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Halsey Complete CD Discography: Badlands / Hopeless Fountain Kingdom/ Manic / If I Can't Have Love I... | $49.36 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
|
BADLANDS | $8.36 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
The Great Impersonator | $9.91 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
Manic | $3.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
hopeless fountain kingdom | $9.99 | Buy on Amazon |
That distinction matters. “Linked” in entertainment reporting usually means that two people were seen together or that outlets connected them, and it does not by itself describe whether they dated, for how long, or on what terms.
What Halsey actually said
The only direct quotation about the rumors in the reviewed sources is Halsey’s comment to Billboard in August 2015, as reproduced by Us Weekly. The central line reads: “We’re both attracted to characters, and we saw that in each other. I spent a lot of time watching him and he spent a lot of time loving being watched.” The quote continues with a profane dismissal of the idea that Healy was the first “pretty-boy rocker in skinny jeans” she had been associated with. Read in full, the remark is a comment on the attraction and on the rumor, not an account of a relationship’s timeline.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →#1 Best Overall
No verbatim statement from Healy about a Halsey breakup appears in the reviewed material.
The song “Colors” and fan theories
Fans have connected “Colors,” from Halsey’s 2015 album Badlands, to Healy. ELLE Australia spells the title “Colours,” and that spelling appears in its article; “Colors” is the common styling. According to ELLE Australia, Halsey described the song on a SiriusXM program as being about a romantic partner, but she did not name that person.
Rank #2
- Halsey's breakthrough debut album, BADLANDS, was originally released in 2015 on Astralwerks
So the song link rests on three layers that should not be merged:
- Reported event: the 2015 link after the concert.
- Direct remark: Halsey’s Billboard comments and her description of the song as being about a partner, without a name.
- Interpretation: the fan belief that the partner in “Colors” is Healy. None of the reviewed reporting confirms it.
Listening to Badlands can show what the song sounds like, but it cannot settle who the song is about.
Rank #3
What the sources do not establish
- Whether Healy and Halsey dated in a formal sense, and for how long.
- When any connection ended, or whether it ended at all in a defined way.
- Why it ended, which means any breakup narrative is unsupported by the reviewed reporting.
- Whether “Colors” is about Healy. Halsey described it as being about a partner without naming that person.
Sources and names to keep separate
Two other items in the coverage are easy to confuse with this story. First, The Guardian’s November 11, 2016 interview with Healy discusses Taylor Swift, not Halsey, so it cannot be used as evidence about Halsey. Second, Us Weekly’s Halsey dating history also covers a separate relationship with producer Lido. Lido is a different partner and a different chronology, and it should not be folded into the Healy story.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read future coverage
If you encounter a new claim, check it against the same three questions: Is it a reported link, a quote from one of the two people, or someone’s interpretation? Does the source name the person it says the song or remark is about? And does it cite a dated statement from either Healy or Halsey confirming the relationship’s start, end, or cause? Without those, a headline describing an “ex-girlfriend” or a breakup is a framing choice rather than a documented fact.
Rank #4
- Manic is the third studio album by Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum artist and alternative pop maverick, Halsey
The reviewed reporting runs through June 2024, so this article reflects what those sources establish as of their dates. Any later statement from either person would need to be checked directly against their own published remarks.
Halsey’s own comments and the album itself are the most direct primary material available, and they still leave the central question open.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- GRAMMYr Award-nominated multi-platinum alternative pop maverick Halsey returns with her anxiously awaited second full-length album, hopeless fountain kingdom [Astralwerks], which she executive produced alongside Benny Blanco, Greg Kurstin, Lido & Ricky Reed
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
