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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