We just got one step closer to Halley Bailey’s debut solo project. In a new interview with Cosmopolitan, the younger half of Grammy-nominated R&B duo Chloe x Halle revealed that her debut solo EP will “definitely” be released “before the end of the year.”
Last month (Aug. 4), Bailey unleashed her debut solo single, a gospel and jazz-tinged empowerment anthem titled “Angel.” In her Cosmo interview, the multitalented artist touched on how her recent life experiences have influenced the creation of her upcoming project. “Ariel was my college experience. She was the one to say, ‘Look, look what you have in you. You can.’ Nettie was the same type of lesson, almost in a spiritual way. These characters are speaking to me and teaching me,” she said. “It’s cool to learn things about life through their eyes. And all musical inspiration really just comes from life experiences. Love has been a really big one for me too, because that’s something I’m experiencing for the first time.”
This winter Bailey will star as Young Nettie in the film adaptation of The Color Purple musical directed by Blitz Bazawule and produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones. The Color Purple, which is currently slated for release on Christmas Day, will also star Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson, Ciara, H.E.R., Aunjanue Ellis, Colman Domingo, Danielle Brooks and Phylicia Pearl Mpasi.
The film will mark the second cinematic event that Bailey has lent her talents to this year. A few months ago, she starred as Princess Ariel in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, which grossed more than $118 million during its opening weekend, which happened over Memorial Day. Bailey also blessed the Rob Marshall-helmed film’s hit soundtrack with her inimitable voice, treating audiences to stunning renditions of Little Mermaid classics such as “Part of Your World” and impressive new songs including “For the First Time.”
“This has been a really beautiful transformative time for me. I have all this new material to write about,” she gushed. “I was very creatively inspired, and then from there, I fell in love. And so I really just played with those themes in my music. Sound-wise, it’s a little modern R&B-ish, with all the jazz elements and hints of pop that I love.”
Once her EP arrives later this year, both members of Chloe x Halle will have officially released solo projects. Older sister Chloe Bailey, known mononymously as Chlöe, released In Pieces, her debut solo studio album, earlier this year. Featuring singles such as “Pray It Away” and the Chris Brown-assisted “How Does It Feel,” In Pieces peaked at No. 119 on the Billboard 200.
As a duo, Chloe x Halle have earned two entries on the Billboard 200: 2018’s The Kids Are Alright (No. 139) and 2020’s Ungodly Hour (No. 16). They have also earned one entry on the Billboard Hot 100: “Do It” (No. 63), the lead single from Ungodly Hour.
