Halle Bailey has dropped her debut solo single ‘Angel’, following her success in Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
Bailey (monomously known as Halle) and her sister Chlöe formed the singing duo Chloe X Halle in 2011 and in 2015, their YouTube cover of Beyoncé‘s ‘Pretty Hurts’ earned them a record deal with Queen Bey’s Parkwood Entertainment.
After signing to the label, they dropped two albums; 2018’s ‘The Kids Are Alright’ and 2020’s ‘Ungodly Hour’ – both earning Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist and Best Progressive R&B Album.
After teasing her debut single earlier this summer, Halle dropped the anthemic and uplifting single with an accompanying music video. Produced by Theron ‘NeffU’ Feemster (Justin Bieber, Ne-Yo), ‘Angel”s lyrics are empowering over the punchy orchestral arrangements: “Heaven knows your wings can weigh you down, but angels make a way somehow.”
The Wendy Morgan-directed music video echoed the song’s angelic theme with contemporary dancers strutting around Bailey, surrounded by a colour palette reminiscent of Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam.
“This song for me is so very special and near and dear to my heart,” Halle said in a statement. “With everything I’ve gone through the past three to four years, suddenly finding myself in this bubble of all these eyes and new opinions, it was easy for me to feel doubt in myself and who I was.
“[‘Angel’], for me, was my climb out of those feelings, a mantra and promise to myself that the work I’m doing here on earth matters and that I matter. I wanted to be able to embrace and be proud of myself and who I am naturally through and through. I hope other brown and black girls and everyone in general feel embraced, respected, and inspired hearing the words of this song.”
Since the duo’s break, Halle Bailey scored the starring role of Ariel in this year’s revival of The Little Mermaid. There was some backlash against the choice, with some criticising the lack of likeness between Bailey and the original Ariel, leading to the social campaign #NotMyAriel. In response, the Georgia singer said: “I just feel like this role is something bigger than me, and greater. And it’s going to be beautiful.”
Chlöe has also released solo music. In 2021, after going viral for uploading covers of popular rap and R&B tracks, she put out her first solo single, ‘Have Mercy’, after a snippet of it went viral. The track was followed by ‘Treat Me’, another viral hit, and the controversial ‘How Does It Feel?’ with Chris Brown.
Last March, the singer-actor finally released her debut solo album ‘In Pieces’, which NME gave three stars, saying: “‘In Pieces’ still stands as a fragmented version of the songwriter and producer’s talents.”
Halle Bailey is set to star in the remake of The Color Purple as Young Nettie Harris. Produced by Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, and Quincy Jones, the film will be in released this Christmas.
The post Listen to Halle’s ethereal debut solo single ‘Angel’ appeared first on NME.
