Chloe x Halle is an American R&B duo composed of sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey. The sisters began their careers by appearing in minor acting roles in the films, The Fighting Temptations and Let It Shine. The sisters later began posting music covers to YouTube, including a cover of "Pretty Hurts" by Beyoncé, who later discovered the video and signed them to her label, Parkwood Entertainment. Shortly after, they released the EP Sugar Symphony. The following year they released their mixtape, The Two of Us. The duo gained further prominence after starring in the sitcom series Grown-ish and releasing their debut album The Kids Are Alright,, for which they earned two Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best Urban Contemporary Album. In 2018 and 2019, they sang "America the Beautiful" twice at WrestleMania 34 and Super Bowl LIII respectively. In 2020, they released their second studio albumUngodly Hour, to critical acclaim. The album's lead single "Do It" became their most successful song to date.
Early life
Chloe Elizabeth Bailey and Halle Lynn Bailey were born in Atlanta, Georgia on July 1, 1998 and March 27, 2000, respectively, and were raised in Los Angeles, California. They first performed as Chloe x Halle by posting covers of pop songs of artists including Beyonce, Drake, John Legend, Justin Bieber, Lorde and Rihanna on YouTube. They launched their YouTube channel at the ages of 13 and 11, respectively, with a cover of Beyoncé's “Best Thing I Never Had”. Their rendition of “Pretty Hurts” by Beyoncé went viral and drew the attention of the singer herself and, in 2015, she signed the sister duo to her management company, Parkwood Entertainment.
Musical career
Chloe x Halle's debut EP, Sugar Symphony, was released April 29, 2016. The EP was accompanied by its singles "Drop" and "Fall". Later in 2016, they made cameo appearances in Beyoncé's Lemonade visual album. They later served as Beyoncé's opening act for the European leg of The Formation World Tour. In the spring of 2017, Chloe x Halle released their critically acclaimed project, The Two of Us, which featured new music mostly written and produced by the duo. The mixtape was featured on Rolling Stone magazine's Best R&B Albums of 2017 list. In December 2017, Chloe x Halle released the theme song for the TV seriesGrown-ish, entitled "Grown". They were added to the cast as series regulars, after initially signing on for recurring roles. Their song "The Kids Are Alright" was featured in the series debut. On March 23, 2018, the duo released their debut album, The Kids Are Alright. Later, the album and Chloe x Halle were nominated for two Grammy Awards, "Best Urban Contemporary Album" and "Best New Artist", respectively. On the album, the duo said: "Our debut album The Kids Are Alright means so much to us, it's three years of self-discovery, vulnerability, and growth, all put into one album. We've put our hearts and souls into every lyric, every beat, and we cannot wait for the world to hear." On May 31, 2018, it was announced that they would be the opening act for the U.S. leg of Beyonce and Jay-Z's On the Run II Tour, alongside DJ Khaled. In 2019, their cover of The Platters's "Enchanted" was featured in the recap montage of Jesse Pinkman's arc on Breaking Bad to coincide the Netflix film . Chloe x Halle sang "America the Beautiful" at Wrestlemania XXXIV and Super Bowl LIII. On April 17, 2020, Chloe x Halle and Swae Lee released "Catch Up", a collaboration with Mike Will Made It, alongside a lyric video, and on May 14, 2020, the duo released the single, "Do It" - both in advance of their second album Ungodly Hour, released on June 12, 2020. The next day, "Forgive Me" was announced as the second single, released along with a video. They released Ungodly Hour on June 12, 2020, to critical acclaim. The album debuted at number 16 on the Billboard 200 chart with 24,000 units sold. "Do It" also became their first entry on the BillboardHot 100, debuting at number 83, on the chart dated June 27, 2020.
Artistry
Chloe x Halle write and arrange all of their songs in their home studio. They also play their own instruments. Halle considers herself a “jazz-head” and has been listening to Billie Holiday since she was five years old. She has cited the singer as one of the major influences on her vocals. Chloe is inspired by Alternative artists such as Grimes and Björk and loves R&B music. The duo considers their sound as a combination of their music taste. They have said: "My sister and I like to make music that has interesting sounds and nuances."
Other works
In July 2019, Disney announced that Halle Bailey had been cast as Princess Ariel in the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, set to be directed by Rob Marshall. Halle's casting created a small controversy on social media, with racists claiming that casting a black woman in the role was not faithful to the original character.
