Chloe Baileyis crossing a major pop star milestone off her list — a Pepsi commercial.
“When I got the ask from Pepsi, I was completely ecstatic and over the moon. I was like, ‘Wow, I get to have my pop star moment’ — so early in my career,” the Chloe x Halle musician, 24, tells people over Zoom. “Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always dreamt of this moment.”
Growing up, Bailey recalls seeing Beyoncé’s 2003 Pepsi commercial, in which a gas station employee sings along to “Crazy in Love” before the 28-time Grammy winner exits a car and approaches him to ask for driving directions.
“When you saw her walking to the Pepsi vending machine, and the guy was so mesmerized. That’s been ingrained in my memory,” she says. “All the icons have had their own Pepsi moment, and now having mine is really surreal.”
Originally released in 1984,Footloosedepicts a town (loosely based on Elmore City, Oklahoma) where dancing is outlawed and follows a teenager determined to overturn the legislation. Given that Bailey’s faced criticism from haters who think she does “too much” in her energetic, heavily choreographed and vocally extravagant performances, could she relate to the storyline?
Chloe Bailey.Courtesy Pepsi
“Oh, abso-freakin-lutely. It was hitting everything that I felt right on the head,” says the Georgia native. “The world tells you not to be too much. The world tells you not to be too little. You can never please everybody, and you have to just please yourself.”
Bailey’s album was born out of a time period where she experienced separation anxiety from her sister,Halle, who spent a large part of 2021 filming Disney’s upcomingThe Little Mermaid(in which she plays Ariel) across the pond in Europe. During their time apart, Chloe was forced to find confidence on her own — which has proven to be a difficult task.
“If I’m being completely honest, I am still struggling to find my inner confidence. The only time I really feel confident is when I’m on stage [or] in the studio articulating my innermost thoughts and feelings,” she admits. “Some days I feel more powerful, confident and strong, and some days I feel a little small, but that’s OK. That’s part of being human.”
For public-facing artists in the music industry, Bailey says it’s crucial “to be open and honest” about not feeling your best. “A lot of items, people see the glitz and glam and think everything’s fine and copacetic, and we’re always happy,” she explains. “But you also have to pay attention to your mental health because it can get lost within the crazy schedules and not having time for yourself.”
Since Halle, 22, wrapped production onThe Little Mermaid, the siblings have been able to spend more time together, between recent Chloe x Halle festival performances and shooting separate acting projects in Atlanta at the same time.
“When we branched out into our own projects, the foundation of who we are as individuals was shaky because we’ve never built on that. So, sis and I have had time to build on who we are as human beings — what we like, what we don’t like, what we know our strengths and weaknesses are,” she continues. “Coming back together, it’s made us appreciate each other even more.”
With the highly-anticipated May 2023 release ofThe Little Mermaidon the horizon, as well as Halle’s other acting projects, a new film adaptation ofThe Color Purpleand upcoming drama filmThe Line, Bailey expresses a high level of general excitement. “I am just so proud of my sister,” she says. “I’m the big sis, so I always feel like a protective mom. It almost brings me to tears when I see her truly stand in her power.”
Halle Bailey and Chloe Bailey.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
In addition to her upcoming solo album, Bailey has a few of her own acting projects in the works: the youth choir comedy filmPraise This, a “trippy” untitled Donald Glover series for Amazon Prime and “other cool projects” that haven’t been announced. While she’s worked as an actress since starring as the young version of Beyoncé’s character Lilly in 2003’sThe Fighting Temptations, performing for the camera has felt especially “therapeutic” for Bailey as of late.
“I tend to bottle my emotions inside, and for some reason, without fail, there’s something I can relate to in the characters I take on,” she says. “It’s always unlocking a piece of me that was never healed, and I feel like that’s when you truly get the raw emotion. So, acting has been almost like a therapy session for me.”
As if they’re not busy enough, the sisters have already started talking about new Chloe x Halle music, though it likely won’t arrive until after Bailey’s album drops. “When we create projects, it always takes us a year or two to fully make sure it’s perfect,” she teases. “We’ll just have to wait and see — but we’re definitely starting it now.”
source: people.com
