The story of Halle Bailey

Brut America

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.

Transcript

00:00For us, I mean, it's a beautiful thing to be able to see the children and babies' reactions

00:06and being like, wow, she looks like me.

00:08She looks like me.

00:13She has my skin.

00:14She's a black girl.

00:15She has my hair.

00:18You may know her as the Little Mermaid, but before becoming a Disney princess, Halle Bailey

00:23was born in 2000 and grew up in Georgia.

00:25From a young age, her parents nourished her and her sister Chloe's interest in music.

00:30And you have sung together for how long?

00:33Since Halle was old enough.

00:40Halle and Chloe began writing songs with the help of their father, and they learned to

00:44play piano and guitar by watching YouTube tutorials.

00:57In 2011, the singing sisters launched their YouTube channel, which featured their covers

01:01of pop songs.

01:02One day, we were at home, and we were like, we're kind of bored, let's just do this.

01:07Hi, I'm Chloe.

01:08And I'm Halle.

01:09I'm 13 years old.

01:10And I'm 11.

01:11And we'll be singing Best Thing I've Ever Had by Beyoncé.

01:20After Halle and Chloe had some minor roles in TV and appeared in a few commercials, the

01:24Bailey family moved to Los Angeles in 2012 with dreams of making it big.

01:29That year, Halle and Chloe nabbed roles in the Disney Channel original film, Let It Shine.

01:37Soon, things really began to take off for the pair.

01:41In 2015, they won Disney Radio's The Next Big Thing, and their viral covers caught the

01:45attention of one of the biggest names in entertainment.

01:56We constantly pinch ourselves every day that Beyoncé saw our video, and we're really

02:01just grateful to have someone like her in our lives.

02:04That year, the sisters signed to Beyoncé's label, Parkwood Entertainment, becoming the

02:08first musical proteges of the global superstar.

02:11You've done this with authenticity, with grace, with raw talent, and you managed to

02:16shine in every room you enter, and I'll always love you.

02:20Please give it up for my girls, Chloe and Halle.

02:24In 2016, they released their debut EP, Sugar Symphony, appeared in Beyoncé's video for

02:29All Night, and opened the European leg of her Formation Tour.

02:32What was your reaction when you found out?

02:35With her singing career in full swing, Halle shifted some of her attention back to acting.

02:39With a recurring role as Skai in the Freeform series, Grown-ish, she went on to become a

02:44series regular.

02:45Cash only.

02:46I don't put my bank information on the internet.

02:48That's how they got 21 Savage.

02:49Skai and I are very similar.

02:51It's so funny how sassy and feisty she is.

02:55Chloe and Halle covers continue to draw viral attention.

02:58I don't gotta dance, I make money moving.

03:02Kiki, do you love me?

03:04We on fire, sit down.

03:07But it was their 2018 debut album, The Kids Are Alright, which they wrote and produced,

03:12that brought critical acclaim.

03:14We are officially done with the album.

03:17Oh my gosh.

03:19We've worked so hard on it for a really long time.

03:23I call it how we do it, we are Genius Generation.

03:28Things went fast for the rising stars.

03:30Their album earned the pair two nominations at the 2019 Grammys, where they also performed.

03:35We're honoring Donny Hathaway and we're singing Where is the Love.

03:39And of course it's a duet and I'm happy to be singing this duet with my sister.

03:42Next, the sisters performed on even bigger stages, like the 2019 Super Bowl.

03:47And crown my good.

03:53And Beyonce and Jay-Z's On the Run II tour.

03:55Halle, why do I feel like the Cheetah Girls today?

03:58Because we are sisters.

04:00Every time we go out there, we're just getting a step ahead than when we weren't doing before.

04:04Hey, I'm giving it back to you now.

04:07In July 2019, Halle landed her biggest break yet as Ariel in Disney's live-action remake

04:12of The Little Mermaid.

04:13The announcement garnered praise, including from original voice actress Jodie Benson.

04:18Halle has just done an amazing job and we are so proud of her and we are so thrilled.

04:24But in some corners of the internet, Halle's casting was met with racist backlash,

04:29marked by the hashtag NotMyAriel.

04:32Just three years later, the film's teaser trailer reignited the racist backlash,

04:36but it was quickly drowned out by support and excitement,

04:39with parents posting videos of their ecstatic children watching it.

04:42The film premiered in May 2023, with critics and viewers praising Halle's musical chops.

04:55How important is it, just on a wider point, for this Disney princess to be played by you,

05:01a black actor?

05:02Honestly, we just have to be able to see ourselves in places like these.

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