Chloe and Halle Bailey.Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty
ForChloe Bailey, going solo wasn’t easy after years of performing alongside her younger sisterHalle.
The siblings rose to fame as Grammy-nominated duoChloe x Halle, the first act signed to Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment label in 2015 — thanks to cutting their teeth since childhood and going viral with covers of Queen Bey’s songs. As Chloe prepares to release her debut albumIn Pieceson Friday, the 24-year-old musician opens up to PEOPLE in this week’s issue about finding her own way as a solo artist.
Chloe’s career was launched at just 3 years old, when she landed the role as the younger version of Beyoncé’s character Lilly in 2003’sThe Fighting Temptationsfilm. From there, she kept acting in their native Atlanta and started singing professionally with Halle, 22.
“We’d be performing at clubs in our church dresses in Atlanta, and then we’d bust out singing for producers outside of hotels,” she recalls of her first performances with Halle when they were ages 10 and 8, respectively.
“We fell in love with the song, even though our little selves had no idea what the lyrics truly meant or the emotional weight it held,” says Chloe, who took the lead with their DIY production style. “We burned [the song] on a CD, put it in our stereo, and our older sister [Ski] was behind the tripod. She would press ‘play’ with her toe as she was paying attention to the camera.”
After begging their parents to let them post the video, it quickly went viral and led to appearances on Disney Channel andThe Ellen DeGeneres Show. Another video, a cover of Beyoncé’s “Pretty Hurts,” then caught the attention of the 41-year-old superstar herself, leading to their deal with Parkwood.
Chloe and Halle Bailey.Kevin Mazur/Getty
“I’m grateful that she saw something in these two little Black girls with short-ass locs on YouTube and gave us a chance,” says Chloe, who later opened for Beyoncé on tour with Halle as they worked on their debut album, 2018’sThe Kids Are Alright.
As she began craftingIn Piecesaround that time, the prospect of solo stardom felt “really scary” for Chloe. “We both didn’t really know who we were individually without the other,” she admits. “There was a moment of self-doubt where I was like, ‘Can I do this without my sister?”
For a while, she even felt uncertain about her own talents. “I didn’t even like the sound of my voice. I didn’t feel it was special without my sister’s voice layered with it,” says the “Have Mercy” musician. “I didn’t feel that what I brought to the table was special.”
Chloe Bailey ‘In Pieces’ Album Artwork.Courtesy of Columbia Records
Luckily, she’s been able to lean on her sister for support, even when they’re physically apart. While making the album, she’d often call Halle in tears. “I’d be like, ‘I’m so scared. I don’t know if people want to listen to this. I don’t think I can do this without you,” says Chloe. “She’d be like, ‘You always tell me to let people see what you’ve always seen in me since we were little girls.'”
As she moves forward with theIn Piecesera and her upcoming tour while Halle embarks on theLittle Mermaidpromotional cycle, the sisters will look out for one another. In fact, they might just be each other’s biggest fans.
“I’m so grateful to God that no matter if we are doing something within our group or individually, we are both simultaneously killing it,” declares Chloe. “I’m so proud of her.”
For more from Chloe Bailey, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.
source: people.com
