By Beyoncé Cowboy Carter on Shaboozey's “A Bar Song,” 2024 has been a watershed year for Black artists excelling critically and commercially in genres that have traditionally sought to sideline Black artists despite having a storied history of Black innovators. Talk of blurring genre lines has dominated the music industry for years, and it's a sentiment that Grammy-nominated singer-producer Chlöe Bailey is incredibly familiar with.
“Any music I make will easily and quickly be categorized as R&B because I'm a black woman,” she said. album” target=”_blank”>Nylon on its cover. “If someone who wasn't my skin tone made the same music, it would be in the pop categories. That's how it's always been in life.”
As part of the Chloe x Halle duo — which includes her Little Mermaid-starring younger sister Halle Bailey — Chlöe regularly crossed genres. On the duo's two Grammy-nominated Billboard 200 LPs of 2018 The kids are fine (No. 139) and of 2020 Godless Hour (No. 16), the sisters dabbled in soul, electronica, house, hip-hop, alternative rock, contemporary pop, R&B and more. Chloe's debut solo LP, In pieces, featured a similar fusion of sounds, which helped it reach No. 119 on the all-genre album chart. Despite releasing several pop tunes, including April's 'Boy Bye', Chlöe's awards and success have mostly come in the realm of R&B. Of her five career Grammy nods, only one came outside of the R&B categories — her Best New Artist of 2018 was one half of Chloe x Halle.
Inside her Nylon Interview, the “Have Mercy” singer named Whitney Houston and Beyoncé as two artists she looks to for inspiration about staying steadfast in genre experimentation, specifically praising the latter artist's latest smash album. “That's why I was really proud of what Beyoncé did cowboy carter,he said, “because black people came from country music. It just goes to show that the possibilities are endless.”
The “Treat Me” singer also finds comfort in knowing her work is often ahead of the curve. “What I love about my art is that it sneaks up on you,” he explained. “When In pieces came out, not many people understood it. But now a year later, people are like, “Oh, he's a genius! It's beautiful! It's amazing!' And if you think about it, it was the same with me and my sister's previous job. Nobody ever gets it when they first come out.”
Chlöe is currently preparing for its release Trouble in paradise, her second solo studio album, which is expected to be released “later this summer.” The “Surprise” singer released a pair of singles this year — “Boy Bye” and moody R&B banger “FYS” — and used it, too. Nylon interview to confirm some of the album's collaborators, including Halle, Jeremih and Anderson .Paak. In pieces — which he supported with a 25-date tour of North America and Europe — featured collaborations with Chris Brown, Missy Elliott and Future.
Chlöe made her official solo debut with 2021's “Have Mercy,” a smash hit that peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. To date, Chlöe has scored four Hot 100 hits, including “Treat Me” (No. 81 ), “You & Me” (No. 72, featuring Gunna) and the 2023 Amazon Music exclusive “Winter Wonderland” (No. 63).
See her cover and her photos Nylon below:
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/chloe-bailey-music-categorized-rb-black-1235715383/
