Sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey, performing together as Chloe x Halle, developed their skills as musicians and producers without formal training, moving across a range of sounds from mature acoustic pop to sparse contemporary R&B. After signing with Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment, the duo delivered their debut full-length album The Kids Are Alright in 2018, earning Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Urban Contemporary Album. Their follow-up, Ungodly Hour, entered the Billboard 200 at number 16 in 2020.
Born in Atlanta and based in Los Angeles, the Baileys built separate and joint acting careers that included appearances in The Fighting Temptations, Last Holiday, and Joyful Noise. Their first link to Disney came in 2012 through contributions to two Radio Disney projects, which also brought them the network’s Next Big Thing award; the next year they performed on the series Austin & Ally, whose soundtrack Austin & Ally: Turn It Up included their track “Unstoppable.” In the same period they issued the EP Uncovered, featuring refined renditions of songs by Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, and Katy Perry.
A cover of Beyoncé’s “Pretty Hurts” that circulated widely led to their Parkwood deal a few years later. The sisters appeared in Beyoncé’s visual album Lemonade, and within a week of its release they issued the five-track EP Sugar Symphony on Parkwood; the standout track “Drop” was written and produced by the duo themselves. Additional 2016 activities included a feature on Michelle Obama’s charity single “This Is for My Girls” and opening slots on European dates of Beyoncé’s Formation world tour. They self-released the mixtape The Two of Us in 2017.
Chloe x Halle returned in March 2018 with The Kids Are Alright, on which Chloe produced or co-produced the majority of tracks and Halle contributed to several others. The album peaked at number 139 on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the title song and “Grown,” the theme for the Black-ish spin-off Grown-ish, in which the sisters portrayed classmates of Yara Shahidi. Also featured was “Warrior,” later included on the soundtrack for the film A Wrinkle in Time. The Grammy nominations further elevated their profile, and 2019 brought the singles “Who Knew” and “Thinkin Bout Me,” both featured on Grown-ish. Their second album, Ungodly Hour, arrived in June 2020 with production input from Sounwave, Disclosure, and Mike WiLL Made-It.
