Chlöe’s mentor and confidant Beyoncé once said, “You know you that b*tch when you cause all this conversation.” These days, Chlöe is used to being a trending topic on social media. Not that the 24-year-old singer, songwriter, and actor pays attention to it, seeing as she occasionally removes apps like Twitter and Instagram from her phone when the negative comments get overwhelming.
“It’s been hard, difficult, [and] unsettling,” Chlöe tells POPSUGAR of dealing with constant judgment from some of her biggest critics online. “I could go down the whole negative path but I have to learn to not really care and to know that as long as I am being authentically and unapologetically myself, then I’m good.”
“Everything that I’m doing right now I’ve prayed for and God has given it to me.”
Between her viral series “Swarm,” freshly-dropped solo debut album “In Pieces,” lead role in Peacock’s “Praise This,” and many other upcoming endeavors, Chlöe has no time to waste on haters. Besides, she says she hardly has time to soak in her accomplishments because her busy schedule keeps her on the go. She’s set to kick off her first headlining tour later this month and has several other movies lined up – which include an adaptation of “Girl From the North Country,” the Wall Street drama “Midas Touch,” and the animated film “Sneaks.”
“I can’t do this on my own,” Chlöe says of balancing her full plate, adding that she also has help from “the best team.” “Everything that I’m doing right now I’ve prayed for and God has given it to me. I’d be doing a disservice to myself and to him by sitting here and complaining after he blessed me with everything I’ve asked for.”
Those blessings include having the opportunity to work with seasoned directors like Donald Glover and Tina Gordon, whom Chlöe credits for aiding her acting journey. “It’s really exciting diving into character development and the why’s, and how’s, and when’s instead of just showing up to set,” she notes of taking her craft more seriously. “That’s made me really fall in love with acting when you got to get out of your head and not be perfect.”
Chlöe tested that theory in her new choir musical “Praise This” – which starts streaming on Peacock on April 7. Her character, Sam, is an ambitious, rough-around-the-edges musician from Los Angeles who moves to Atlanta and joins her singing sister-cousin Jess’s (Anjelika Washington) competitive youth gospel choir. The Will Packer-produced film, which also stars Quavo, Druski, Tristan Mack Wilds, and Crystal Hayslett, follows Sam’s journey as she tries to break into the music game – something Chlöe has already accomplished on her own and as part of her Grammy-nominated duo, Chloe x Halle, with her younger sister.
“I don’t think I’m mean . . . But sometimes, I just have to learn to take a little bit of Sam’s attributes. You know, when people try to try me.”
“The similarities between Chlöe and Sam are definitely their love for music and how they both write and produce,” the “Pray It Away” singer explains. “The difference is that Sam is a little mean. I don’t think I’m mean . . . But sometimes, I just have to learn to take a little bit of Sam’s attributes. You know, when people try to try me.”
Chlöe’s determination and can-do attitude are some of her most admirable traits, as her “Praise This” costars attest to the fact. “I would ask Chlöe all the time, how did she memorize her long lines,” Druski tells POPSUGAR. “She would come in from a performance from the night before and learn her lines through the night, not sleep, and go straight to set and just do it.” Turning to Chlöe, Washington adds, “It’s so great working with you because you have such an insane work ethic, it’s very special. And I don’t see that a lot with people our age and so it was really, really nice and refreshing . . . and also inspiring.”
Looking back at Chlöe’s résumé, it seems as though she nearly manifested her leading movie role, between her small parts in iconic musical films like “Joyful Noise,” “Let It Shine,” and “The Fighting Temptations” (where she played the younger version of Beyoncé’s character). One could even argue that she was made for the vibrant role, as “Praise This” director Gordon confirms to POPSUGAR that the singer was always her top choice for the part.
“I like how bold she is in public – sometimes it gives me a heart attack but I love it,” Gordon laughs. “I wanted a character that was right at that intersection of pushing boundaries but I knew there was this sweet, almost reserved part of her in private. And once I saw that duality of her, that kind of vulnerability of Chlöe Bailey, I knew she could still access the girl that’s struggling to become like, [well], a Chlöe Bailey.”
Despite what naysayers think of Chlöe’s coming-of-age journey, the singer is still sorting through herself, in pieces so to speak; her debut album is a testament to that. She previously told POPSUGAR that the project – which she largely executive produced, engineered, and wrote –
was like “creatively birthing a child.” However, said brain child has been the center of discourse for the past week as critics and social media users have all weighed in with their opinions about it.
Chlöe struggles to understand why she’s been so heavily assessed as a solo artist for the same things she was praised for on her first two studio albums (“The Kids Are Alright” and “Ungodly Hour”) with her sister, Halle. “‘Oh, the group music was more innovative and different in the production,'” she recalls of one critique. “I’m thinking, I did that production and the engineering, chopping, and screwing of sis and I’s vocals.
“I’m not going to sit up here and act like, ‘Oh, it doesn’t bother me.’ It really hurts.”
“To be honest I don’t know why,” Chlöe says of fans seemingly turning on her during her solo era. “When I let it get to me, sometimes I think to myself, ‘Well, the person who is saying these criticisms, could they do it? No. So you know what, I’m going to hold my head up high. I know I’m working my ass off, I’m living out my dream, so why waste my energy focusing on that?’ I’m not going to sit up here and act like, ‘Oh, it doesn’t bother me.’ It really hurts. We’re human but that’s why I stay off social media.”
She continues, “I know I’m doing everything to the best of my ability. I’m good. There is no way in hell one person can please everybody. Whether it’s me, whether it’s someone across the street, no matter who it is. I’m grateful that people care enough to talk about me and I’m like, it is what it is.”
In the face of adversity, Chlöe says she leans on people like her sister, Beyoncé, her godmother, Shermay Joh, and newfound collaborators like Missy Elliott for guidance. “A lot of times my peers, too, and who I work with. Sometimes that’s really great advice because you feel less alone because they’re going through the exact same thing right at that moment as you are,” she shares.
Still, Chlöe pushes on and lets the negativity roll right off her back – mainly because the superstar is likely jet-setting off to her next pressing event. When asked what she’s labeling this part of her career, Chlöe says, “I’m calling it the introduction chapter. It’s like the reintroduction of who Chlöe is. Not only to the world but also to myself.”
As far as what she’s focused on next? Well, that’s a number of things. But she notes, “Wherever God takes me, I’m accepting it with open arms.”
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