After surprising the students with an acoustic performance of their song “Forgive Me,” sisters, actors, self-taught musicians, and producers Chloe and Halle Bailey talked about how they stayed creative in this current “age of discomfort,” the role of women in music production, and their own experience with the business side of a show, as seen from their perspective as artists.
Chloe x Halle highlighted the healing power of music, and how they wanted to send a message of hope and love through their new album, Ungodly Hour, while emphasizing that it’s “OK not to be OK.” Chloe x Halle, who showed profound admiration for each other, their family, and their work as a team, encouraged the students to find a balance between “their creative and their business heart,” and to learn to keep them separate. “Sometimes, when it comes to labels and what people expect from you, it’s OK to think [for yourself] and realize that you should follow your intuition and not do everything by the book,” they said.
During the interview, students had the opportunity to ask the artists about a wide range of topics, including the process of finding and developing their artistic identity, what nonmusical skills an artist should have, how their perspectives have changed over time, both professionally and personally, and what they would say their career defining moment was.
As a final piece of advice, Chloe told the students not to take everything to heart, especially in the music business. “Sometimes you have to give yourself a mental break. It’s OK to take those moments and truly learn to love yourself. Build your happiness and your heart because if everything went away tomorrow, what would you have?,” she said.
“It is easy to get lost in the glitz and the glam,” added Halle. “Sometimes this can make us feel really overwhelmed. Just realize that you are enough, and the things you think are problems are not, so don’t take it to heart and just do whatever you have to do for yourself to reset and move on.”
