2006–2016: Early work and record deal While in Georgia, Bailey played minor acting roles in films such as
Joyful Noise (2012), having begun a career in acting at the age of 3, and the
Disney television film
Let It Shine (2012). The duo launched a
YouTube channel at the ages of 11 and 13 respectively, with a cover of
Beyoncé's "
Best Thing I Never Had". They first performed as Chloe x Halle when uploading covers of pop songs onto their channel. The duo made their talk show debut when they appeared on
The Ellen Show in April 2012. In May 2015, both sisters were in talks to sign on with
Parkwood Entertainment, with the contracts submitted to the
Manhattan Supreme Court, as both sisters were then minors detailing that they "[would] receive at least $60,000 and advances that could total almost $1 million if they make at least six albums." Parkwood Entertainment, which was founded by Beyoncé, finally signed them in 2016 for a five-year contract, becoming "[her] first true musical successors," per
NPR, The Bailey sisters were featured, along with Beyoncé, twin sisters
Lisa-Kainde Diaz and
Naomi Diaz,
Amandla Stenberg and
Zendaya in the clip for
Freedom The duo were also featured as the opening act for the European part of Beyoncé's
Formation World Tour, held between late June and early August 2016. On December 29, 2017, the duo released the theme song for the TV series
Grown-ish, entitled "Grown". Halle played Skylar "Sky" Forster in a recurring capacity in the first season before being upgraded to series regular starting with the second. She departed the series at the end of the fourth season when her character graduated from college. Both "Grown" and "The Kids Are Alright" served as the lead and second singles, respectively, of Chloe x Halle's debut studio album,
The Kids Are Alright, which they announced in late February 2018. The album was paired with a visual. Chloe x Halle released their debut studio album,
The Kids Are Alright, on March 23, 2018, to critical acclaim. Their single, "Warrior", appeared on both the
soundtrack for the film A Wrinkle in Time (2018), as well as their debut album. On May 31, 2018, it was announced that they would be the opening act for the U.S. leg of Beyoncé and
Jay-Z's
On the Run II Tour, alongside
DJ Khaled. The duo were nominated for two
Grammy Awards in December 2018, namely
Best New Artist and
Best Urban Contemporary Album (for
The Kids Are Alright). On February 3, 2019, Chloe x Halle's performance of "
America the Beautiful" at the
Super Bowl LIII was praised by their mentor Beyoncé in addition to several news publications. A week later, on February 10, 2019, the duo honored American musician
Donny Hathaway by performing his 1972 single "
Where Is the Love" at the
61st Annual Grammy Awards. On June 12, 2020, the duo released their sophomore album,
Ungodly Hour, to critical acclaim. The album debuted at number 16 on the
Billboard 200 chart with 24,000
units sold. "Do It" also became their first entry on the
Billboard Hot 100, debuting at number 83 on the chart dated June 27, 2020. The duo later released Ungodly Hour (Chrome Edition) on February 26, 2021. The rereleased album included two new songs, '80/20' and 'Hazy'. The duo hosted the
Glamour Women of the Year Awards in October 2020. In November 2020, they received nominations for
Album of the Year,
Song of the Year,
Video of the Year,
Best Dance Performance and
The Ashford And Simpson Songwriter's Award at the
2020 Soul Train Music Awards. They also received nominations for
Best Progressive R&B Album,
Best R&B Song and
Best Traditional R&B Performance at the forthcoming
63rd Annual Grammy Awards. They performed "Baby Girl" at the 2020
Billboard Women in Music ceremony, where Beyoncé presented them with the Rising Star Award.
2019–present: Solo endeavors and Love?... or Something Like It '' during the April 2023
Easter egg roll at the
White House In July 2019,
Disney announced that Bailey had been cast as
Ariel, the titular mermaid, in
The Little Mermaid, a live-action remake of the
1989 animated film of the same name. Following the announcement, her casting caused a backlash, with some claiming that casting an African-American in the role of Ariel was unfaithful to the original character. Director
Rob Marshall said that Bailey "possesses that rare combination of spirit, heart, youth, innocence, and substance—plus a glorious singing voice—all intrinsic qualities necessary to play this iconic role". In an interview with
Deadline, Marshall expressed that he was brought to tears by Bailey's singing. Explaining how "Bailey was able to embody everything else that he was looking for with Ariel...she set the bar way too high for any other hopefuls to match. In response to the criticism, Disney defended their casting and stated that Ariel "is a mermaid".
The Little Mermaid was released in May 2023. Bailey received praise from critics for her performance, earning nominations for the
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, the
Black Reel Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, the
Saturn Award for Best Performance by a Younger Actor, and the
People's Choice Award for Female Movie Star of the Year. She also recorded and performed the
soundtrack for the film. On October 1, 2021, Bailey made her debut solo performance with a rendition of the Disney song "
Can You Feel the Love Tonight", in the televised event,
The Most Magical Story on Earth: 50 Years of Walt Disney World, which celebrated
Disney World's 50th Anniversary. In 2023, Bailey starred in the musical period drama film
The Color Purple, based on stage musical
of the same name. The film was directed by
Blitz Bazawule and produced by
Steven Spielberg,
Quincy Jones,
Scott Sanders and
Oprah Winfrey. As a part of the ensemble cast, Bailey received the
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture as well as nominations for the
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture and the
Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble. Bailey played the role of young Nettie and performed four songs on the
soundtrack, including the
promotional single "
Keep It Movin''", which won the
Black Reel Award for Outstanding Original Song and was shortlisted for
Best Original Song at the
96th Academy Awards. On August 4, 2023, Bailey's debut single as a solo artist, "
Angel", was released. The song was nominated at the
66th Annual Grammy Awards for
Best R&B Song. On March 15, 2024, she released her second solo single, "
In Your Hands". Her third single "Because I Love You", which was co-written by British singer-songwriter
RAYE, was released on August 30, 2024. Bailey released her debut studio album,
Love?... or Something Like It, on October 24, 2025. ==Personal life==