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The story of Halle Bailey
Brut America
Follow
5/25/2023
Videos of kids reacting to her playing Ariel swept the internet even before "The Little Mermaid," was released.
But did you know that Halle Bailey and her sister were the first musical proteges of Beyoncé? This is her story.
Category
🎵
Music
Transcript
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00:00
For us, I mean, it's a beautiful thing to be able to see the children and babies' reactions
00:06
and being like, wow, she looks like me.
00:08
She looks like me.
00:13
She has my skin.
00:14
She's a black girl.
00:15
She has my hair.
00:18
You may know her as the Little Mermaid, but before becoming a Disney princess, Halle Bailey
00:23
was born in 2000 and grew up in Georgia.
00:25
From a young age, her parents nourished her and her sister Chloe's interest in music.
00:30
And you have sung together for how long?
00:33
Since Halle was old enough.
00:40
Halle and Chloe began writing songs with the help of their father, and they learned to
00:44
play piano and guitar by watching YouTube tutorials.
00:57
In 2011, the singing sisters launched their YouTube channel, which featured their covers
01:01
of pop songs.
01:02
One day, we were at home, and we were like, we're kind of bored, let's just do this.
01:07
Hi, I'm Chloe.
01:08
And I'm Halle.
01:09
I'm 13 years old.
01:10
And I'm 11.
01:11
And we'll be singing Best Thing I've Ever Had by Beyoncé.
01:20
After Halle and Chloe had some minor roles in TV and appeared in a few commercials, the
01:24
Bailey family moved to Los Angeles in 2012 with dreams of making it big.
01:29
That year, Halle and Chloe nabbed roles in the Disney Channel original film, Let It Shine.
01:37
Soon, things really began to take off for the pair.
01:41
In 2015, they won Disney Radio's The Next Big Thing, and their viral covers caught the
01:45
attention of one of the biggest names in entertainment.
01:56
We constantly pinch ourselves every day that Beyoncé saw our video, and we're really
02:01
just grateful to have someone like her in our lives.
02:04
That year, the sisters signed to Beyoncé's label, Parkwood Entertainment, becoming the
02:08
first musical proteges of the global superstar.
02:11
You've done this with authenticity, with grace, with raw talent, and you managed to
02:16
shine in every room you enter, and I'll always love you.
02:20
Please give it up for my girls, Chloe and Halle.
02:24
In 2016, they released their debut EP, Sugar Symphony, appeared in Beyoncé's video for
02:29
All Night, and opened the European leg of her Formation Tour.
02:32
What was your reaction when you found out?
02:35
With her singing career in full swing, Halle shifted some of her attention back to acting.
02:39
With a recurring role as Skai in the Freeform series, Grown-ish, she went on to become a
02:44
series regular.
02:45
Cash only.
02:46
I don't put my bank information on the internet.
02:48
That's how they got 21 Savage.
02:49
Skai and I are very similar.
02:51
It's so funny how sassy and feisty she is.
02:55
Chloe and Halle covers continue to draw viral attention.
02:58
I don't gotta dance, I make money moving.
03:02
Kiki, do you love me?
03:04
We on fire, sit down.
03:07
But it was their 2018 debut album, The Kids Are Alright, which they wrote and produced,
03:12
that brought critical acclaim.
03:14
We are officially done with the album.
03:17
Oh my gosh.
03:19
We've worked so hard on it for a really long time.
03:23
I call it how we do it, we are Genius Generation.
03:28
Things went fast for the rising stars.
03:30
Their album earned the pair two nominations at the 2019 Grammys, where they also performed.
03:35
We're honoring Donny Hathaway and we're singing Where is the Love.
03:39
And of course it's a duet and I'm happy to be singing this duet with my sister.
03:42
Next, the sisters performed on even bigger stages, like the 2019 Super Bowl.
03:47
And crown my good.
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And Beyonce and Jay-Z's On the Run II tour.
03:55
Halle, why do I feel like the Cheetah Girls today?
03:58
Because we are sisters.
04:00
Every time we go out there, we're just getting a step ahead than when we weren't doing before.
04:04
Hey, I'm giving it back to you now.
04:07
In July 2019, Halle landed her biggest break yet as Ariel in Disney's live-action remake
04:12
of The Little Mermaid.
04:13
The announcement garnered praise, including from original voice actress Jodie Benson.
04:18
Halle has just done an amazing job and we are so proud of her and we are so thrilled.
04:24
But in some corners of the internet, Halle's casting was met with racist backlash,
04:29
marked by the hashtag NotMyAriel.
04:32
Just three years later, the film's teaser trailer reignited the racist backlash,
04:36
but it was quickly drowned out by support and excitement,
04:39
with parents posting videos of their ecstatic children watching it.
04:42
The film premiered in May 2023, with critics and viewers praising Halle's musical chops.
04:55
How important is it, just on a wider point, for this Disney princess to be played by you,
05:01
a black actor?
05:02
Honestly, we just have to be able to see ourselves in places like these.
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