To celebrate the release of her debut solo studio album, Halle Bailey gets strikingly honest in the latest episode of Billboard’s Takes Us Out video series.
The six-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter took Billboard’s Tetris Kelly out to H.O.P.E. (Healthy Organic Positive Eating) in Studio City, Calif., where the pair dug into a spread of some of Halle’s favorite vegan bites. While conversing over spring rolls and green curry dumplings, the pair discussed The Little Mermaid, accepting the Billboard Women in Music Rising Star Award in 2020, her first love, working with Mariah the Scientist and GloRilla, and Beyoncé‘s reaction to her debut solo album, Love?… Or Something Like It.
Released on Friday (Oct. 24) via Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records, Halle’s new LP features collaborations with Chlöe, Mariah the Scientist, GloRilla and H.E.R., as well as the previously released singles “Angel,” “Because I Love You,” “In Your Hands,” “Braveface” and “Back and Forth.” Notable cowriters and producers include RAYE, D. Phelps, Freaky Rob, Sevyn Streeter, BongoByTheWay, and, of course, Bailey herself.
“I hear my sister on so many songs, I think it’s the way my brain is wired,” she tells Billboard. “I hear her, I hear what she can add, like, ‘She would be good on this; she would be good on that!’ When it came to our song ‘Feel Again,’ I was like, ‘I cannot do this song without Chlöe, I need to hear her on this.’ My sister is a freakin’ cool musical genius; she travels with her equipment. She can record wherever she is because she brings all her s—t with her.”
And if there’s been one constant in Halle’s life as she navigates the music industry — outside of her sister — it’s Beyoncé, the music icon who mentored the sibling duo and signed them to her Parkwood label.
“I played this one for [Beyoncé] too,” Halle reveals. “And she was obsessed with hearing our voices again together.”
The new record arrives as Halle’s first full-length solo offering since her sister duo of Chloe x Halle took a hiatus following the release of 2020’s breakthrough Ungodly Hour album. As her older sister embarked on a career that has yielded two solo albums and buzzy music videos, Halle focused on bringing Princess Ariel to life in the 2023 live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, securing safety and stability for her son Halo (whom she shares with ex DDG), and figuring out her solo sound.
Watch the latest episode of Takes Us Out above.
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