Chlöe is brimming with anticipation as we speak, just days away from the release of her debut solo studio album, In Pieces. Marking her most definitive work to date, the 14-track record sets Bailey in the spotlight – one cast far beyond the infamous duo, Chloe x Halle, that first introduced her to the scene.

“I’m excited for people to get a deeper look into who I am not only as a person, but also sonically,” she enthuses. The singer-songwriter and actress, best known for her role in Grown-ish, rose to fame beside her sister on their music-based YouTube channel. Reflecting on their teenage pursuits, Chlöe recalls the times she’d perform covers of artists she and her sister had admired, from Whitney Houston and Adele to Beyoncé. “It’s almost like my spirit knew that this was what I was always going to do,” Chlöe says on choosing her career path. “Ever since I could produce sound from my mouth, I was singing.”

Born in Georgia, Chlöe and her family soon sought the opportunities of Los Angeles as the siblings’ social platforms grew, a move which earned them the attention of Beyoncé as well as a signing to her label, Parkwood Entertainment. “If it wasn’t for social media, nobody would know who I am or my sister,” Chlöe insists as she muses at the launch of her professional music career. “We started out on YouTube and all of the fans who supported us came from there. I am extremely grateful for social media.”

After a successful EP, “Sugar Symphony”, their debut studio album The Kids Are Alright secured the young musicians two Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best Urban Contemporary Album in 2018. Their extensive online fan-base even allowed the sisters to release their album, Ungodly Hours, on schedule in April 2020 despite the upheaval that was induced by the pandemic.

During this time, Bailey found herself alone in Los Angeles as her sister worked on Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid in London. This rare distance between them opened up a period of self-reflection for the singer, leaving her no choice but to discover who she was both as an artist and woman on her own. “I didn’t know who I was without my sister,” she begins. “I had a lot of separation anxiety, and it was really hard being separated from each other for the first time ever in our lives for such a long period of time. It really forced me to look at myself and be like, ‘Okay, who is Chlöe?’ I was figuring out who I was through the songs.” Tracks such as “Heart on My Sleeve” and “Pray It Away” demonstrate autobiographical explorations of accepting her vulnerabilities, as well as her eagerness to love hard and embracing trust in others. “Everything that I was scared to say in real life, I was able to put in the music so easily. When I would go back and listen to these demos again, I’d be like, ‘Man, I’ve been holding on to all of this?’ It definitely forced me to figure out who I am.”

In discovering herself, Chlöe found her therapy. Whether she’s the one orchestrating or consuming music, writing became a means to navigate her soul and establish a new-found respect for herself – allowing her to overcome her past traumas. “My God-mom always says that performing is my medicine,” she adds. “Whenever I’m on stage, that’s where I feel most free and most like myself and most alive, that’s where I’m not questioning my thoughts or anything that I go through. Every feeling and thought that I put into the [album] has healed me, but the same people who hurt me will hear these songs. So, it’s liberating and also very aspirational because I hope I can heal people from how I healed myself with the same music.”

Talking of the glamorous images found across her personal social media, Chlöe assures that “when you come up close, you’ll be able to see all the little tiny cracks that show all of the times I’ve pieced myself back together.” Which, going by her chosen title, marks a major theme beating through her reflective album. “If it wasn’t for music, I probably wouldn’t be here right now,” Chlöe reveals. “I really leaned on music and my sister and my God-mom and that’s why I’m a huge advocate for mental health.” The artist finds further solace in prayer, which calms her in the midst of carrying out a frankly hectic schedule. Something sure to come in handy in the artist’s imminent future… Alongside the release of her album, rehearsals are in full swing for Chlöe’s upcoming solo tour that kicks off in April, while she’s still on a high from the release of viral sensation Swarm with a new movie-musical on the horizon too, Praise This. “It’s really easy for me to get consumed in my work because I’m a workaholic. If I have normal work or I have a free day, I end up filling it up, and I’ve noticed that I use my work as almost a distraction from other things in my life,” she shares on her growing roster. “I definitely have to pray to God to keep me grounded. At the start of the year, I prayed to God and I was like, ‘God, this year I want to have a healthier work-life balance,’ because it’s not what people are putting on me, it’s what I’m putting on myself.”

Alongside her faith, Chlöe returns to the songs that have influenced and impacted her throughout her childhood to provide comfort in the more confronting periods she faced while penning her album. “Music has been my crutch in a way.“I was listening to a lot of Missy Elliot, Yeba, Emily Sandé, Frank Ocean, Beyoncé and Kayne West, as well as my sister. As you listen to the album, you’ll be able to find the little moments of which artists probably inspired me here or there.”

While some young artists on the brink of a huge debut would hope for success, Chlöe simply aspires for her listeners to feel connected to each other, to her words and to themselves,and to feel less alone as a result. “I hope that this inspires people to not be scared, to not have fear, and to not beat themselves up for not being happy all the time and not having a good day all the time and just knowing that it’s okay to be flawed and imperfect.”

It’s an album that was made with a live audience in mind, and Chlöe is ready – armed with excitement and pride – to finally share her art with the world. “It’s my first headlining tour ever and it’s like all my dreams are coming true. It’s been three or four years of me making this and scrapping the project and redoing it and now it’s happening so fast that I just have to remind myself to live in the moment.”

Meanwhile, her on-screen opportunities keep coming. Amazon’s psychological thriller Swarm pushed the actress outside of her comfort zone as she starred as Dre’s sister, Ris, and made a lasting impression. “Doing that show, filming it last year, made me fall more in love with acting. Being on set with Dominique Fishback and Damson Idris and Donald Glover, who directed the pilot, and amongst people who inspire me and learn from them, was so exciting.”

The multifaceted talent also featured a new track in the pilot that “didn’t quite fit” with the album, but was “too special not to go anywhere,” titled “I’ll Kill You” with Metro Boomin. “I have to see a piece of myself in a role, no matter how big or small, and that will make me say yes to it,” she explains. “There are so many parts of me that I can connect to different types of characters because of what I’ve been through. With Ris, she was struggling and trying to survive as a musician. There have been so many times where I break down, I’m like ‘I don’t think I can do this.’ But, my love outweighs any stress or pain that comes with the business.”

A key focus for the rest of the year for Chlöe is happiness and preserving her wellbeing – especially as she prepares to go on tour. “I have to remind myself that the biggest form of self-care is sleeping, as I’m constantly on the go. I don’t realise how much sleep helps until I get it,” she reflects. “I surround myself with people I love. I have an amazing support system with my sister and my god-mom, I have the best family – my sister Sky, my brother Branson, my god-brother Joe. If I didn’t have them, I’d feel alone, but I have genuine people around me who care about me and love me and only want the best for me.” Although, the multi-hyphenate has also set her sights on one particular professional ambition. “Something that’s been at the top of my heart for a while is to win an EGOT – Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. So, I’m just going to be working towards that goal.” In the meantime, Chlöe is ready for the world to see her for who she really is – both whole and In Pieces.