GLAMOUR’s Women of the Year Awards 2023 Gen-Z Game-Changer honouree, Halle Bailey, 23, is a Grammy-nominated singer and actor. Her meteoric rise to fame – after being discovered by Beyoncé, alongside her sister, Chloe – has cemented her as a leading voice of her generation. Here, she reveals how she's used this voice to incite change and inspire future generations of women.
When I hear the word ‘game-changer’, I think of rewriting the rules and setting up a whole new boardgame. I think of Greta Thunberg, Yara Shahidi and all the young people of my generation who are using their voice for good, whether that’s through activism or art. Gen-Z has this fire and passion for issues around climate and equality, because we’re reacting to what’s happening – we can see the world changing right in front of us and we want to take action. This is the world that our children will one day live in, and we want it to be beautiful for them. And we know that we have the power in our hands; that we can make a difference by speaking up and speaking out. Our parents and grandparents were taught to follow the rules and accept that this is the way life is. But this generation won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.
Learning to speak up for myself is one of the biggest challenges I’ve faced over the past few years. But understanding the power of my voice – and the voice of artists – started way back when I was just five years old and I discovered one of life’s most beautiful mysteries. It came to me in a library across the road from our family home in Mableton, Georgia, packaged in a pink CD case. I had no idea who Billie Holiday was, nor that the album in my hands, Lady in Satin, was even an album – I thought it was a movie. But when I got home and put it into our DVD player, I was instantly mesmerised by the music, filled with pure bliss. The love, joy, pain and sadness in her voice; her music was able to show me exactly what she was going through. Certain melodies just hit me in a certain way, they shot right through me and made me instantly understand the message she was singing. I couldn’t explain why; it was simply the work of angels. All the music I’ve written since has strived to give somebody else that feeling.
My sister Chloe and I grew up singing every day, but the first time we performed together was at summer camp, around the same time that I picked up that Billie Holiday CD and fell in love with jazz. We sang Summertime by Nina Simone, with flowers in our hair, wearing matching outfits our mum picked out for us. I was only five years old, but it felt natural, and from then on we began performing around Atlanta. But it was our older sister Ski who encouraged us to start posting covers on YouTube when I was 11 years old. By that time, we were both being homeschooled to focus on music, after leaving elementary school when I was in fifth grade (year 6 in the UK). We’d wake up; run three miles around our house; have back-to-back voice, piano and guitar lessons; then figure out which song we were going to post and start rehearsing. It was a strict routine, but it was also a whirlwind of discovery and happiness. We realised that there was something special and powerful about us singing together, and we knew that we wanted something greater for ourselves.
When we woke up one day in December 2013 and saw that our cover of Pretty Hurts by Beyoncé had gone viral, it felt like Christmas morning. It got even better when we received an email from B’s company Parkwood Entertainment. At first, I didn’t believe it was real. “There’s no way,” I thought. But Chloe was an even more diehard fan than I was, and she recognised Parkwood’s official seal right away. Before long, Beyoncé was in the same room as us, telling us she wanted to take us under her wing and be our mentor. She’s always taught me to stay true to myself, to stand up for myself and say what I want. She vouches for me, which is really important. It’s a beautiful thing when a creative who you look up to tells you that you’re doing a good job. It means the world.
We officially got signed to Parkwood Entertainment as Chloe x Halle in 2015 and, from that day on, we’ve lived in the limelight. Our music has always been about unleashing the voices that are deep inside of us. Our first album The Kids Are Alright (2018) was about togetherness and sisterhood; it was the beginning of our story. We wrote and produced the whole album at home by ourselves, and received two Grammy nominations, which was a really big accomplishment. On our second album Ungodly Hour (2020), we learned how to stand up for ourselves, especially when it comes to love. We postponed the release of the album out of solidarity for the Black Lives Matter protests that were taking place around the world. When it eventually came out, it was interesting to see how those themes of perseverance, love, happiness, and owning yourself resonated with the moment. When my work lines up with what’s going on in the world, it feels like it’s a message for me to keep going.
Over the past year, I’ve been introduced to a bigger audience than I’ve ever known before. To be honest, I’ve been surprised by the magnitude of it all. When I look at the beautiful messages I receive, or whenever children rush up and hug me, it’s a different feeling of unconditional love. I’m always a bit shocked when people call me a “role model”, because I feel like a 12-year-old girl in my head, still striving to be a better person every single day. But I’m so grateful for the recognition and the validation. And I’m proud of myself for putting in the work to make it happen. It finally feels like all the blood, sweat and tears have paid off.
Up until we started pursuing our solo projects in 2021, I always had my sister, Chloe. She was – and still is – very protective, immediately standing up for me if somebody does or says something negative. When I was a baby, she was constantly by my side – you can see her literally leaning over the cradle to make sure I’m OK in family photographs. When we got a record deal and began writing our own music, she’d prove every producer who doubted us wrong by being better than them at their own game. The glue in our bond will last forever, even as we embark on separate journeys and discover new parts of ourselves as adults. That nucleus will always be there. Chloe is more than a sister; she’s my ultimate mentor. She taught me how to stand up for myself, how to take ownership of my creativity and how to push through self-doubt.
Last November, while I was coming to terms with being in front of a new, bigger and far-reaching audience, I wrote my debut solo single, Angel, as a response to everything that I had gone through and overcome. I was still getting used to being in a bigger limelight, learning how to keep my head up and ignore any negative things people were saying about me as part of a racist backlash. It was really a love letter to myself and to all of the other Black girls and women in the world who have felt like they don't belong, overwhelmed by so many different opinions about who they are, what they should be, where they should fit in. It was like a mantra, a motivation song to help me get through what I was feeling at the time, to remind me of who I was: “Black girl here, Black girl with the Black girl hair / Took a little sunkiss just to look like this / God sent, you're an angel”.
I didn’t know that the song would launch my solo music career at the time. I’ve always been proud of being Black, even when it made me different. At elementary school, for example, there were only three other Black students. I didn’t look like everyone else and the locs I’ve worn since I was three years old were compared to Cheetos by the other kids. I don’t think I even realised how important my hair was at that age – to me, my hair was just my hair. But I never doubted that my locs were beautiful. In fact, when people took notice of how different my hair was, it only made me feel more comfortable in my skin.
When you’re a Black woman, you have to deal with the realities of discrimination. I’m from Georgia, so it’s nothing new to me, but it gets harder when you have a lot of eyes on you. There are so many expectations that come with being a public figure; people expect you to hold yourself in a certain way. It’s been a beautiful learning experience for me, learning how to block out all of that noise. I’ve made sure to surround myself with loved ones and take social media breaks, as much as I love seeing my friends’ pictures on my feed. When it all gets too much, I turn to nature: I go swimming; hiking; or even just up to my rooftop to feel the sun on my skin.
I’ve started therapy, too. Until recently, I’d assumed that it wasn’t for me. Growing up making music with Chloe, writing songs provided that outlet, a way for us to look within and let out the voices that were deep inside. It’s always been easier for me to open up when I’m singing rather than talking – sometimes I don’t even know how I’m feeling until I sing. But I’ve realised that talking about everything you’ve bottled up can help so much. It’s inspiring me in new ways, too, because you often don’t know what you’re holding in until you’ve been allowed to open it in that space. You can take that and put it into your creativity, use it for good in your life. It’s been life-changing.
When I look back at all the Black women who have inspired me on my journey – from my sister Chloe to icons such as Diana Ross, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone and, of course, Beyoncé – my biggest takeaway is how they were all experimental artists who were unapologetically themselves. I remember being backstage with my sister at the Black Music Collective event during Grammy week in 2021, about to go on stage as part of a Quincy Jones tribute segment. Mary Mary performed just before us and, when they walked off stage, they noticed how nervous we both were. They told us that we “don't have to prove anything to anyone but yourselves and God.” Beyoncé gave us similar advice when we played some of our earlier songs to her. Our sound at the time was more experimental; a melting pot of different influences and genres that couldn’t be put in a box. “The work that you are doing is so spectacular,” she said. “Don't worry about trying to dumb yourself down. The world is gonna have to catch up to you.”
That advice will always stay with me. And now, as I enter this new chapter of my life, I feel like I can truly embrace being myself completely. Feminism, to me, means putting yourself first as a woman and not taking ‘no’ for an answer. I’m still learning how to do those things, but when I look at all the amazing women who inspire me, I think: “If they could do it, I can do it.”
As a Black woman, there are definitely moments when you feel discouraged, particularly in the past when there has been a lack of representation in the media. But right now, it feels more hopeful. By just being ourselves in the industry, showing more people that our voices matter and that our beautiful skin deserves to be embraced, Black women are shifting the narrative. I'm so grateful to be part of the group of creatives who are driving that change.
But as much as I love performing and sharing my gift with the world, that’s not what makes me feel the most powerful. Those moments come when I’m in South Carolina, surrounded by all my cousins, running through the grass in the park. That feeling of love and hope and happiness. My siblings and I are all creative – my older sister Ski is a writer and my younger brother Branson also has a beautiful voice – so whenever we get together we’re always singing. Those are the moments that make me happy. When I’m with my family, I feel empowered, embraced and connected to my heritage.
To anyone who’s in any doubt that they have that power within them, know that you’re wrong – you just need to find it. Take time to discover outlets that make you feel that strength, whether it’s writing, athletics or simply spending time with the people you love. It doesn’t matter, as long as it helps you reach that energy within you.
I know now that the little girl who accidentally picked up that Billie Holiday CD would be proud of how far she’s come. But I still feel like I’m healing my inner child everyday. We’re growing together, learning that we’re stronger than we ever thought we could be. As that inner child heals, I’m discovering who I am as a young woman.
Everyone has something to offer. Everyone has a gift. The more you hone in on that gift and give it back to the world, the more you will feel better about what you’re doing in this life. Don’t be discouraged. You already have it in you.
Photographers: AB + DM
Styling: Justin Hamilton
Hair: Tinisha Meeks
Makeup: Christiana Cassell
Manicure: Yoko Sakakura
Prop styling: Carlos Lopez/Winston Studios
Production: Ilona Klaver
