December 1, 2021 • 30 mins
Chloe Bailey is probably most famously known as one half of the sister group Chloe x Halle, but through her acting, choreography, producing, and solo music career she’s got the entertainment market covered. In this interview, Eric talks with Chloe about why she learned to produce her own music, how the private Chloe is so different than the public Chloe, and how her family jokes that - as the world’s biggest Beyoncé fan - she manifested her and her sister becoming one of the first artists signed to Beyoncé’s production company.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:15):
Pushkin. So, do you have a favorite vocal exercise that
we do. I love all of the ones where we
do the minor scale going down because they're still challenging
for me and I love a good challenge. I love
(00:35):
all of those. That's me chatting with Chloe Bailey, singer, dancer, actress, producer.
She does it all. And then I love like the
car engine startup. That's a great one. You show people
what that is. How does it go? It goes, Yeah,
like an old fashioned card, And I love like always
feeling my stomach jump and move with it, and I
(00:57):
feel like I'm getting an app exercise at the same time.
This is Backstage Pass with Eric Vitro, and I'm Eric Vitro.
On this show, I talked to some of the most
talented and famous singers working today about their lives, their craft,
and what it takes to make it really big. I
happen to be their voice teacher and their vocal coach,
so our conversations are uniquely different from their usual interviews. Okay,
(01:23):
let's get back to talking about warming up. I love
that you mentioned singing a minor scale because most of
the time people only sing major scales, right, Yes, and
I notice like even sometimes when you'll be like, Okay,
speed it up here, it'll help me with my riffing
and the accuracy and hitting the notes. And I think
that's why I love those so much, because it's like
(01:43):
confusing my brain. It's like what's going on here, and
it's like a puzzle piece, But then it really helps
when it comes to riffing and like doing all the
fun vocal acrobats you want to do. You may know
Chloe as one half of the duo Chloe and Hallie
and their songs do It Happy Without Me or on
Godly Hour, or you might have seen Chloe on the
TV show Grownish, which her sister Hallie was also on,
(02:06):
or you might know her from her blossoming solo career.
I met Chloe when I was working with her sister, Hallie.
I definitely remember how he first met. It was at
your house and my sister was with you, and she
was working on a Little Mermaid right when she got
the role, and I was there at my whole family
and I remember meeting you and your beautiful dog. You
were so effervested in, so outgoing. I felt like I
(02:29):
had an instant connection with you. I felt the same. Eric,
I felt the same, and I was like, Wow, Eric
is such a sweet, sweet spirit. I can't wait to
work with him. One day, we were rehearsing in my
living room, but then you and I went in the
studio for a little while ami talking, and then I
felt like I already knew you. So I was really excited.
And then you didn't call for a couple months. I
(02:50):
was like, oh, yeah, well, because for me it was
like you were training Hallie and I wanted her to
feel completely confident and comfortable before she went out to Europe,
and I didn't want to overstep that. I think it's
like the big sis, little sis thing. I'm so proud
of Hallie and I want her to feel like she
can stand on her own and be just as great
and don't really have me interfere sometimes. So I was like,
(03:11):
once I knew she kind of found her footing in Europe,
I was like, okay, I can hit up Eric. Wow.
I would have never thought that, but that's so sweet
of you. You're amazing things. Wow. When I felt it
was time to start really improving my vocals, I was
like Eric, Eric, Eric, Eric, And then that's when I
hit you up and I was like, I have to,
I have to, and I was so happy that we
(03:32):
finally got to work together. Well did all that. I
was thrilled. And the bonus was that I discovered Chloe
is a blast to work with moments, like a hyper
bubbly person. And it's really funny because people don't really
know that unless they know me personally, because the way
I kind of perform and the way I like pose
(03:53):
or whatever, I seem like this ultra confident, like boss
batty girl, but like inside, I'm such a nerd and
I'm like so goofy and clumsy and like hyper and energetic.
So it's really funny how I have different layers to myself.
Now it turns out Chloe's been singing basically her entire life.
(04:14):
I started singing right when I came out of my
mom and I remember my untie Mail tells the story
all the time, how I was two years old in
the back of her car and Alicia keys Fallen was
on and I was singing my heart out in the
back and she wasn't used to that like my parents were,
and she ran home and she was like, do you
know your daughter can sing? And I had vibrata in
(04:35):
my voice while I was singing Fallen. I wish I
could go back in time and just kind of look
at myself then. But I've always always loved music, something
about it, and I grew up loving Tony Braxon and
Beyonce and Destiny's Child. And when I turned around eight
or nine, my dream was to be a Broadway star. Honestly,
I wanted to be young Nylon Lyon King so bad
(04:57):
and I finally got it, but it was for Broadway
and not the tour and my family. We just ended
up staying in Atlanta and I did a bunch of
plays in theater and I was like, I'm gonna win
Tony's one day. My dream is to be a Broadway star.
And I think it's because I love to dance and
perform while I was singing, because even when I was younger,
I've always been such an expressive person with my face
(05:18):
and my body, like my whole soul. So I think
that's why I was so drawn to Broadway at the time.
And then it kind of moved to just wanting to
be a huge mainstream performer and artist and entertainer because
I can bring that Broadway performing Since to that, and
then my beautiful sister came along. So as I was
singing and performing, we were always together like this, like
(05:40):
attached at the hip. So when she saw me doing
what I was doing, She's like, Chloe, I want to join.
And it kind of became a bonding thing for us
to sing and do everything together. And they do work
together so well, so naturally, when Chloe told me that
she wanted to wait for us to work together until
Hallie felt ready for The Little Mermaid, I shouldn't have
(06:01):
been surprised. It speaks to how much they truly support
each other. Maybe that's why they've been performing together for
so long. We went to this summer camp at Spellman
University in Atlanta and they had a talent show and
Hallie and I decided to sing summertime, and we had
our matching like green tank tops and striped skirts and
these big flowers in our hair like Billy Holliday, and
(06:23):
we were up there singing, and that was the very
first time we really truly performed together in front of
an audience, and we won first place some time, and
the Livings Easy fisha Jumping and the Cottonisa and after
(06:52):
that we kind of just kept it going, and I
even remember we would go to clubs in our church
dresses and sing. When Chloe was around ten, she and
Hallie wanted to start creating their own original music and lyrics.
At that time, we were meeting producers and we'd bust
out singing for them in Atlanta. But it's like, really,
what can you write and produce for ten and eight
(07:12):
year olds? Like that's a little hard and it's a challenge.
But for us, we don't realize how young we truly are, right,
so no one was really biting because of that. Our
dad was like, Okay, you guys have to learn how
to do it on your own. I remember we all
sat at the table and we learned about songwriting structure
and how to apply figurative language into songwriting. And I
(07:33):
still remember that day clear as can be. And that
was the moment where we first started writing our music.
What was the first song that you actually wrote and
got recorded and release? The very first song that I
wrote with Hallie. It was called what makes You Sad?
And there was a long list of things that what
made us sad and it kind of sucked, but you
(07:54):
both sat together and yea, we sat at the table
with our dad and my sister and we made a
list of everything that made us sad, and we came
up and added the melody to it that never made
any records. How was the chorus? Can you sing a
little of the course it went well? She said, losing
your ones? What makes you said the invitrate like a
(08:16):
cost fan? Oh wow? That I could see a lot
of people relating to. Yeah, it was like it was
a bit depressing. I can't lie, but you know, it
was the foundation of everything and it just kind of
went up from there. Everyone around Atlanta would be like, oh,
you should start doing covers like it's a new thing,
because they would say Justin Bieber got discovered off of
(08:36):
YouTube cover such such got discovered. We were like, you know,
I don't know about that, and you know, I'm the
biggest Beyonce fan. One day, you know, we heard best
thing I ever had, and we loved that song, and
we found the piano instrumental and we were like, you
know what, we don't have anything to do today, let's
do a cover. This is when you got to burn CDs.
So we burned the instrumental on the CD. I'm Chloe
(08:59):
and I'm happy. I'm thirteen years old, num eleven. It's glow.
We seeing best Thing I Never Had? And I remember
our older sister Sky. She sat by the try pod
with the camera and would press play on her toe
and we were sitting in front of the wall singing,
and we sing our hearts out for maybe like twenty takes.
Baby Colver called corn heyy Mo Baby Gold. They had
(09:27):
posted some videos before the two of them performed it
a talent show or a church or charity concert, but
their cover of Best Thing I Never Had that was
the first cover they recorded in their basement for their
YouTube channel, and they recorded even more cover songs by
Adele Rihanna, Katy Perry and Alicia Keys. She's just a
gull and She's on fire, kinda than a fantasy, higher
(09:55):
than high. We went on Ellen Show after we were
doing the covers, and I think that was the moment
we were like, Okay, I guess these covers are kind
of doing something for us. YEA, all right, who's who?
Well Shoe, I'm Hallie Chloe and Hally Yes, and you
are how old? I'm thirteen eleven? Okay? And you have
(10:16):
sung together for how long? Since Hallie was old enough, Yes,
I was. Fourn Halley was two, and we started singing
together and after that we just kept going and that
was kind of our segue and the door leading us
into greater opportunities with music. Not too long later, Chloe
and Hallie recorded a cover of Beyonce's Pretty Hurts stage
(10:43):
paget the Pain So I'm Gonna take the chrown not
falling down die. There was so much emotion and intensity
in that performance, especially for someone so young. Beyonce saw
it and shared it and the video went viral and
(11:03):
the rest is history. Shortly after seeing their cover video
Pretty Hurts, Beyonce actually signed Chloe and Hallie to her label.
How about that. I was the biggest Beyonce fan. The
very first role I went for and got was the
younger version of Beyonce and fighting temptations. So being able
to meet her and knowing that I loved her so much,
(11:25):
I was like, Wow, so this is what a star
is supposed to look and be like. And I think
I got introduced to that at such a young and
early age. And I knew about Parkwood and I was like,
we're going to be the first group sign. I always
said that. I always put that out. I'm a proud
member of the Bee Hive. So when the email came through,
(11:45):
I immediately knew the Parkwood seal and I was like, oh,
it's real, Like I knew it. And so the family
kind of always laughed at me because they're like, you
kind of manifested it. You did, you did, and you
keep manifesting things. I'm a firm believer in knowing that
there's no coincidences in life. I feel like everything is planned,
and I feel like in a way, that was God
(12:06):
playing a funny joke on me, Like, Okay, you're going
to do this now, and then years later you're going
to meet her, be signed to her, and she's going
to guide you along your career and your path. And
so it's really funny how if you look back at
your life, you can see how things kind of how
they correlate and how they come together and connect. Hey,
don't go away, we'll be right back with backstage pass
(12:29):
with me, Eric Vitro and my guest Chloe Bailey. Okay,
we're back talking with Chloe. Now. I've always been impressed
with how her brain works when it comes to production,
so I wanted to talk to her about how that developed.
(12:49):
I love like legos, I love building things and piecing
things together, and I love math and science. Like before
I got homeschooled, I really loved school, and I think
that's why I got into production. And it's my favorite thing.
And people don't really know that until they like talk
to me and I'm posting more like making the beats
and everything. But yeah, it's kind of like my little
hidden secret. Sometimes I don't really know how to verbally
(13:11):
explain what I want, but I can play it and
I could piece it together, and I'm like, here, you
know what this is? It? You know, it's funny you're
saying that how much you love it, because I notice
when you talk about producing, Yeah, just totally light up.
So I get that. I think it is so strong
and incredible seeing a woman produce. And it's such a
male dominated industry, and there are great female producers, but
(13:34):
a lot of them aren't getting the shine and the
recognition that they deserve. And like, I've grown up loving
Missy Elliott and Imogene Heap and Grimes and Merrill garbage
of tune yards and buyork and seeing how these women
literally create masterpieces out of nothing has been so inspiring
to me, and it gets like my heart and fire
(13:55):
lights in my belly. So let me ask you this
because a lot of times when I hear interviews with people,
they'll say who inspired you, And sometimes it's a similar
group of people, the greats, But I always want to know,
well why, Like, for example, you mentioned like three or
four women right there, like maybe Missy Elliott, Like what
was it about her, her persona, the tone of her voice,
(14:18):
how she delivered the performance, like what was it? Honestly,
it was knowing how she held her own when it
came to production, and how she made a name for
herself when it came to originality. Like I'm the biggest
Imagine fan, and just even listening to the instrumentals that
Imagine would put out with her albums, because she would
put a separate thing out and I would just listen
(14:38):
to it. I'm like, wow, how does she piece this together?
How does she piece that together? And I think just
seeing how these women were incredible artists and stars, but
they were also involved in every piece behind the scenes.
And no one can tell your story as great as
you can. And I admire great performers and artists who
do have a huge team behind them, because that's beautiful
(14:59):
and you still have to have that it factor to
be successful. But something about an artist who can do
it all has excited me and that's what I have
wanted to become. Now, what about those women that you
were mentioned, what about any of their voices? Is there
something that triggered you? Yeah, Merrill Garbas has like the coolest,
quirkiest tone, and she belts all the time that I lose.
(15:29):
She kind of got me into wanting to do like
the weird clashing harmonies, the one that's like going against
the grain and really feeling left of sinner. So she
really inspired me. And how she lay at her vocals
and same with Imagine heap and how she did the harmonizer,
and like I would just stare at her live performances,
(15:54):
even when she did the gloves. And I was so
happy when Ariana Grande kind of commercialized it more in
a way and put more light on it because not
too many people know about Imagine and the star that
she is, so Ariana loved her. Yeah, I was like,
Ari's the coolest for doing that. It am me so
freaking happy. I love the layers and that really opened
up my mind to vocal production and how I layer
(16:16):
my vocals and you know, with Hallie and I and
how will like piece things together. Well, speaking of strong
powerful women, you recently did a song by another iconic,
strong powerful artist, Yes, Nina Simone. Yes. So it was
a part of this project that I did, and it
was all of these other incredible black artists and they
(16:36):
did their own interpretation of other songs. The song was
Feeling Good, which was recorded for Music for the Movement
Volume three, an album released to celebrate Juneteenth. I've always
been the biggest Nina Simone fan. She is so unapologetically
herself and so strong, and now she owns herself and
who she is, and you know, she really doesn't give
(16:58):
a crap about what anyone has to say. And so
I felt that that song really resonated with me, even
now more than ever, because I'm coming into my own
I'm finding who i am, I'm learning to feel comfortable
in that, and I'm feeling freaking good. And that's why
I chose that song. And I was in my room
(17:19):
and I came up with that arrangement. I started it
and it was really just my harmonies and claps, and
then I started adding the drums and the instrumentation to
it like the next day, Like I specifically followed the
strings that was in her version and did that with
my voice. So that was really fun to do. It
felt like another puzzle piece, and I was honestly really
happy with how it turned out. It feels like alternative
(17:39):
and like dark and really fun. When she performed the
song for ABC's juneteenth celebration, Chloe sang completely alone on stage.
She was silhouetted against a bright full moon. It's just
her singing and dancing with the music. I love performing
that song and I love miss Nina Simone so much,
and I was just more than honored to do it. Yeah,
(18:01):
I think she would absolutely be thrilled with that performance.
I mean, first of all, I think a lot of
people really came away from is your range is so
incredibly wide. They I mean, you go so low and
then you go so high that I mean, you really
we get everything and that Eric, I'm really grateful for
(18:26):
you because you've kind of removed those blocks that I've
had on myself mentally when it comes to my voice,
and it makes me happen when people think I'm a
great singer. I'm like, what, It's honestly still surprising to me.
I don't know why she would find that so surprising,
but anyway, another great quality Chloe has is she really
listens to advice. And right here, I'm kind of talking
(18:47):
about my advice. All of the vocal products you told
me to get, I was like taking them days before.
And remember the humidifier you told me about, because it
gets so dry in LA. When I don't have that
humidifier on, I can't really sing the best right. And
so all of the tips and tricks you told me
about I applied and I think that really helped me.
And even when we were working on it and how
(19:08):
to connect with the certain words and just make it
feel and not really be in my head about how
I sound, just more about hot feels. That really helped me.
When we did that together, we get that listening to you,
like we feel what you're feeling, which is so extraordinary
about it. And I love that you kind of take
us on such a journey because it does go so low,
(19:30):
like feeling good. You kind of think of that expression
that someone would say, I'm feeling really good, yeah high yeah,
but you took it so low that was like, oh,
I'm feeling this expression in this thought in such a
different way. Don't And then it did just climactically get
(20:03):
higher and higher. I think it really came when I
was producing the song and I just wanted to feel
like there was a constant build. I wanted to feel
(20:24):
like a roller coaster and I'm learning that I do
have a deep tone and I'm like, I should use
it more. Why not? It wasn't really strategic in my
mind when I did. I was just like, let's start
really low and then as it builds, we'll just like
ramp it up, ramp it up, wrap it up, because
I love roller coasters and that's how I wanted it
to feel. That's great. I love that. Well you achieved it.
(21:03):
Thank you, you achieved it. The fact that Chloe performed
Feeling Good without any backup dances or any special lighting
or added effects was amazing to me. It was a conscious,
specific decision to do that because I feel like the
best person to perform with for me is my sister,
and I think for the first time, no one could
(21:23):
really live up to the best person I could perform with.
And I was like, you know what, let me just
be out there and be me. Yeah, I don't need dancers,
I don't need a band behind me. Let me just
keep it simple, let me be completely and unapologetically myself.
And that's what I wanted to do. Yeah, I wouldn't
call it simple. Yes, I don't know many people who
(21:45):
could do that. I still have scars on my knees
from that, yes, because it was sequence and usually in rehearsal,
I had my knee pads, but there were sequence all
on my knees and so I was bleeding after that.
Oh my god, you're kidding. Yep. They were like these
nasty scabs on my knees, but now it's just like
lighter scars on my knees. Now, when you were doing it,
(22:06):
did you know that was happening or were you selling
them all pain? All the pain? Because I rehearsed before
I started filming it, and I felt the pain. I
knew shoot, and it was like okay, But when my
adrenaline kicks in, I kind of forget about everything else
and I just get lost in the music. So after it,
when I saw how red and purple my knees were,
I went, oh boy. Note to aspiring performers sometimes you
(22:29):
have to suffer for your art. I didn't see any
of it on your face, so thank you. That's why
I was wondering about that. Yeah. Wow, just watching you
do that was incredible. I remember it like I wanted
to hear it again. I got so focused on watching
you moved that I was like, Oh, I have to
hear the voice again, Like I have to go back
and listen again because I really want to pay all
(22:49):
attention to the voice this time. Yes, thank you. So
you are working on a solo album, which I'm so
excited about. Thank you. So let's talk about that. Does
that feel very different from everything you've done with Hallie
or is it just like another part of you, an extension. Oh,
it's a little bit of both. So my sister was
(23:10):
in London killing it be an Ariel and Little Mermaid,
and you know me, I have all this music still
bubbling inside of me. So I didn't feel right really
halting my creativity. And you know, I was creating songs
from my album, even some that will be on my
sister and I's next album. And this is the most
inspired and excited I have felt. And I really love
(23:32):
to perform and dance, and I wanted to make music
that I can really fully perform and dance too. And
I'm talking a lot of ish on the record, and
I'm really expressing myself and it feels really fun and
I can't wait for everyone to hear it. I'm really
really proud of it. Wow, I can't wait. Would you
(23:52):
say the style is different from what you and Hallie do?
It definitely is different. As much as we are the same,
we are completely different. We have different music taste. My
sister's a jazz head. Me I love like alternative. I've
been such a huge down a summer fan. I've been
doing a lot more pop and like different things that
kind of really make me want to dance and move
and just jump out of my chest. And what I
(24:15):
love about my sister and I is how strong we
are together but also as individuals, like she is such
a powerhouse on her own as well as I am.
So it's been it's me. The project is me. It's
everything that I feel, all of my thoughts. It's just
me completely, So I feel really free creating and I'm
really happy with it. Stay right there. Right after this,
(24:38):
we'll have our vocal Tip of the Week and more
from Chloe Bailey, let's do our vocal tip of the week.
In this episode, we also talked about the car engine
(24:59):
starting up exercise. It's a great exercise to strengthen your
breathing muscles, strengthen your voice, and also to loosen you
up and release those notes. Basically, you're making a sound
like an old card that is having trouble getting started.
Try it, making sure you use your breathing muscles to
create the sound. Also make sure the sound is being
(25:25):
created up front in your mouth, not in the back
of your throat. If you're having trouble getting it out
of the back of your throat, try adding in a
M before you start, like this M. It should feel good.
If it doesn't, you're doing it incorrectly. Then try it
(25:46):
on a simple melody like this bases baritones in tenners.
Start on a sea below middle c. Then stretch your
range by transposing down and then back up by half
steps like this. Eltos and sopranos. You could start right
(26:49):
here on a middle cea keep going higher by half
(27:27):
steps until you reach the highest note you can comfortably.
Don't overdo it or make it too louder, too heavy,
just a little bit goes a long way. If you
want to share yourself doing the car engine exercise, I'd
love to hear you. Use the hashtag Backstage Pass pod
on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or wherever you like to post.
I can't wait to see your videos. I'll see you
(27:50):
next week. Maybe maybe maybe maybe. Backstage Pass with Eric
Vitro is written and hosted by me Eric Vitro and
produced by Mortgage. Daffy. Katherine Girardou is our showrunner, Emily
(28:13):
Rostek as our associate producer. The show is mixed and
mastered by Ben Tolliday. Additional engineering help is from Jacob
Gorski Mia Lobell as our executive producer. Our development team LEETL.
Mullad and Justine Lange helped create the show, thanks also
to Jacob Weisberg, Heather Fame, John Schnarz, Carl Migliori, Christina Sullivan,
(28:34):
Eric Sandler, Maggie Taylor, Nicole Morano, Daniel o'lakan, and Royston Basserve.
The original theme music is by Jacob and Cita Steele
for Premier Music Group. We record at Resonates Studios. Fred
Talson does our videography and the photography is by Ken Sawyer.
A very special thanks to Michael Lewis for his inspiration
(28:55):
and the best guidance anyone could ask for. Backstage passed
with Eric Vitro as a production of Pushkin Industries. If
you like the show, please remember to share, rate and
review it. I mean that really share, ry, review it,
and if you love the show and others from Pushkin Industries,
consider subscribing to Pushkin Plus. Pushkin Plus is a podcast
(29:17):
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Podcasts subscriptions. To find more Pushkin podcasts, listen on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
(29:42):
Do you have any rituals that you do before you
get on stage? I pray, oh, I drink lots of tea,
I'll yes, throatcoat, I'll warm not hot. Yes, yes, you
taught me. And I used to burn my tongue no, no,
not good. Yeah you told me about that and I
was like, oh wow, warm nah. And I'll take a
spoonful of honey. And now I have my Manuka honey
(30:03):
packets and those have been amazing. But yeah, I pray,
I stretch, and I calm down because I'm like, I
rehearse my butt off. There's nothing much I can do
or change right now. Just breathe and let the music
take control, and you'll be fine.
Pushkin. So, do you have a favorite vocal exercise that
we do. I love all of the ones where we
do the minor scale going down because they're still challenging
for me and I love a good challenge. I love
(00:35):
all of those. That's me chatting with Chloe Bailey, singer, dancer, actress, producer.
She does it all. And then I love like the
car engine startup. That's a great one. You show people
what that is. How does it go? It goes, Yeah,
like an old fashioned card, And I love like always
feeling my stomach jump and move with it, and I
(00:57):
feel like I'm getting an app exercise at the same time.
This is Backstage Pass with Eric Vitro, and I'm Eric Vitro.
On this show, I talked to some of the most
talented and famous singers working today about their lives, their craft,
and what it takes to make it really big. I
happen to be their voice teacher and their vocal coach,
so our conversations are uniquely different from their usual interviews. Okay,
(01:23):
let's get back to talking about warming up. I love
that you mentioned singing a minor scale because most of
the time people only sing major scales, right, Yes, and
I notice like even sometimes when you'll be like, Okay,
speed it up here, it'll help me with my riffing
and the accuracy and hitting the notes. And I think
that's why I love those so much, because it's like
(01:43):
confusing my brain. It's like what's going on here, and
it's like a puzzle piece, But then it really helps
when it comes to riffing and like doing all the
fun vocal acrobats you want to do. You may know
Chloe as one half of the duo Chloe and Hallie
and their songs do It Happy Without Me or on
Godly Hour, or you might have seen Chloe on the
TV show Grownish, which her sister Hallie was also on,
(02:06):
or you might know her from her blossoming solo career.
I met Chloe when I was working with her sister, Hallie.
I definitely remember how he first met. It was at
your house and my sister was with you, and she
was working on a Little Mermaid right when she got
the role, and I was there at my whole family
and I remember meeting you and your beautiful dog. You
were so effervested in, so outgoing. I felt like I
(02:29):
had an instant connection with you. I felt the same. Eric,
I felt the same, and I was like, Wow, Eric
is such a sweet, sweet spirit. I can't wait to
work with him. One day, we were rehearsing in my
living room, but then you and I went in the
studio for a little while ami talking, and then I
felt like I already knew you. So I was really excited.
And then you didn't call for a couple months. I
(02:50):
was like, oh, yeah, well, because for me it was
like you were training Hallie and I wanted her to
feel completely confident and comfortable before she went out to Europe,
and I didn't want to overstep that. I think it's
like the big sis, little sis thing. I'm so proud
of Hallie and I want her to feel like she
can stand on her own and be just as great
and don't really have me interfere sometimes. So I was like,
(03:11):
once I knew she kind of found her footing in Europe,
I was like, okay, I can hit up Eric. Wow.
I would have never thought that, but that's so sweet
of you. You're amazing things. Wow. When I felt it
was time to start really improving my vocals, I was
like Eric, Eric, Eric, Eric, And then that's when I
hit you up and I was like, I have to,
I have to, and I was so happy that we
(03:32):
finally got to work together. Well did all that. I
was thrilled. And the bonus was that I discovered Chloe
is a blast to work with moments, like a hyper
bubbly person. And it's really funny because people don't really
know that unless they know me personally, because the way
I kind of perform and the way I like pose
(03:53):
or whatever, I seem like this ultra confident, like boss
batty girl, but like inside, I'm such a nerd and
I'm like so goofy and clumsy and like hyper and energetic.
So it's really funny how I have different layers to myself.
Now it turns out Chloe's been singing basically her entire life.
(04:14):
I started singing right when I came out of my
mom and I remember my untie Mail tells the story
all the time, how I was two years old in
the back of her car and Alicia keys Fallen was
on and I was singing my heart out in the
back and she wasn't used to that like my parents were,
and she ran home and she was like, do you
know your daughter can sing? And I had vibrata in
(04:35):
my voice while I was singing Fallen. I wish I
could go back in time and just kind of look
at myself then. But I've always always loved music, something
about it, and I grew up loving Tony Braxon and
Beyonce and Destiny's Child. And when I turned around eight
or nine, my dream was to be a Broadway star. Honestly,
I wanted to be young Nylon Lyon King so bad
(04:57):
and I finally got it, but it was for Broadway
and not the tour and my family. We just ended
up staying in Atlanta and I did a bunch of
plays in theater and I was like, I'm gonna win
Tony's one day. My dream is to be a Broadway star.
And I think it's because I love to dance and
perform while I was singing, because even when I was younger,
I've always been such an expressive person with my face
(05:18):
and my body, like my whole soul. So I think
that's why I was so drawn to Broadway at the time.
And then it kind of moved to just wanting to
be a huge mainstream performer and artist and entertainer because
I can bring that Broadway performing Since to that, and
then my beautiful sister came along. So as I was
singing and performing, we were always together like this, like
(05:40):
attached at the hip. So when she saw me doing
what I was doing, She's like, Chloe, I want to join.
And it kind of became a bonding thing for us
to sing and do everything together. And they do work
together so well, so naturally, when Chloe told me that
she wanted to wait for us to work together until
Hallie felt ready for The Little Mermaid, I shouldn't have
(06:01):
been surprised. It speaks to how much they truly support
each other. Maybe that's why they've been performing together for
so long. We went to this summer camp at Spellman
University in Atlanta and they had a talent show and
Hallie and I decided to sing summertime, and we had
our matching like green tank tops and striped skirts and
these big flowers in our hair like Billy Holliday, and
(06:23):
we were up there singing, and that was the very
first time we really truly performed together in front of
an audience, and we won first place some time, and
the Livings Easy fisha Jumping and the Cottonisa and after
(06:52):
that we kind of just kept it going, and I
even remember we would go to clubs in our church
dresses and sing. When Chloe was around ten, she and
Hallie wanted to start creating their own original music and lyrics.
At that time, we were meeting producers and we'd bust
out singing for them in Atlanta. But it's like, really,
what can you write and produce for ten and eight
(07:12):
year olds? Like that's a little hard and it's a challenge.
But for us, we don't realize how young we truly are, right,
so no one was really biting because of that. Our
dad was like, Okay, you guys have to learn how
to do it on your own. I remember we all
sat at the table and we learned about songwriting structure
and how to apply figurative language into songwriting. And I
(07:33):
still remember that day clear as can be. And that
was the moment where we first started writing our music.
What was the first song that you actually wrote and
got recorded and release? The very first song that I
wrote with Hallie. It was called what makes You Sad?
And there was a long list of things that what
made us sad and it kind of sucked, but you
(07:54):
both sat together and yea, we sat at the table
with our dad and my sister and we made a
list of everything that made us sad, and we came
up and added the melody to it that never made
any records. How was the chorus? Can you sing a
little of the course it went well? She said, losing
your ones? What makes you said the invitrate like a
(08:16):
cost fan? Oh wow? That I could see a lot
of people relating to. Yeah, it was like it was
a bit depressing. I can't lie, but you know, it
was the foundation of everything and it just kind of
went up from there. Everyone around Atlanta would be like, oh,
you should start doing covers like it's a new thing,
because they would say Justin Bieber got discovered off of
(08:36):
YouTube cover such such got discovered. We were like, you know,
I don't know about that, and you know, I'm the
biggest Beyonce fan. One day, you know, we heard best
thing I ever had, and we loved that song, and
we found the piano instrumental and we were like, you
know what, we don't have anything to do today, let's
do a cover. This is when you got to burn CDs.
So we burned the instrumental on the CD. I'm Chloe
(08:59):
and I'm happy. I'm thirteen years old, num eleven. It's glow.
We seeing best Thing I Never Had? And I remember
our older sister Sky. She sat by the try pod
with the camera and would press play on her toe
and we were sitting in front of the wall singing,
and we sing our hearts out for maybe like twenty takes.
Baby Colver called corn heyy Mo Baby Gold. They had
(09:27):
posted some videos before the two of them performed it
a talent show or a church or charity concert, but
their cover of Best Thing I Never Had that was
the first cover they recorded in their basement for their
YouTube channel, and they recorded even more cover songs by
Adele Rihanna, Katy Perry and Alicia Keys. She's just a
gull and She's on fire, kinda than a fantasy, higher
(09:55):
than high. We went on Ellen Show after we were
doing the covers, and I think that was the moment
we were like, Okay, I guess these covers are kind
of doing something for us. YEA, all right, who's who?
Well Shoe, I'm Hallie Chloe and Hally Yes, and you
are how old? I'm thirteen eleven? Okay? And you have
(10:16):
sung together for how long? Since Hallie was old enough, Yes,
I was. Fourn Halley was two, and we started singing
together and after that we just kept going and that
was kind of our segue and the door leading us
into greater opportunities with music. Not too long later, Chloe
and Hallie recorded a cover of Beyonce's Pretty Hurts stage
(10:43):
paget the Pain So I'm Gonna take the chrown not
falling down die. There was so much emotion and intensity
in that performance, especially for someone so young. Beyonce saw
it and shared it and the video went viral and
(11:03):
the rest is history. Shortly after seeing their cover video
Pretty Hurts, Beyonce actually signed Chloe and Hallie to her label.
How about that. I was the biggest Beyonce fan. The
very first role I went for and got was the
younger version of Beyonce and fighting temptations. So being able
to meet her and knowing that I loved her so much,
(11:25):
I was like, Wow, so this is what a star
is supposed to look and be like. And I think
I got introduced to that at such a young and
early age. And I knew about Parkwood and I was like,
we're going to be the first group sign. I always
said that. I always put that out. I'm a proud
member of the Bee Hive. So when the email came through,
(11:45):
I immediately knew the Parkwood seal and I was like, oh,
it's real, Like I knew it. And so the family
kind of always laughed at me because they're like, you
kind of manifested it. You did, you did, and you
keep manifesting things. I'm a firm believer in knowing that
there's no coincidences in life. I feel like everything is planned,
and I feel like in a way, that was God
(12:06):
playing a funny joke on me, Like, Okay, you're going
to do this now, and then years later you're going
to meet her, be signed to her, and she's going
to guide you along your career and your path. And
so it's really funny how if you look back at
your life, you can see how things kind of how
they correlate and how they come together and connect. Hey,
don't go away, we'll be right back with backstage pass
(12:29):
with me, Eric Vitro and my guest Chloe Bailey. Okay,
we're back talking with Chloe. Now. I've always been impressed
with how her brain works when it comes to production,
so I wanted to talk to her about how that developed.
(12:49):
I love like legos, I love building things and piecing
things together, and I love math and science. Like before
I got homeschooled, I really loved school, and I think
that's why I got into production. And it's my favorite thing.
And people don't really know that until they like talk
to me and I'm posting more like making the beats
and everything. But yeah, it's kind of like my little
hidden secret. Sometimes I don't really know how to verbally
(13:11):
explain what I want, but I can play it and
I could piece it together, and I'm like, here, you
know what this is? It? You know, it's funny you're
saying that how much you love it, because I notice
when you talk about producing, Yeah, just totally light up.
So I get that. I think it is so strong
and incredible seeing a woman produce. And it's such a
male dominated industry, and there are great female producers, but
(13:34):
a lot of them aren't getting the shine and the
recognition that they deserve. And like, I've grown up loving
Missy Elliott and Imogene Heap and Grimes and Merrill garbage
of tune yards and buyork and seeing how these women
literally create masterpieces out of nothing has been so inspiring
to me, and it gets like my heart and fire
(13:55):
lights in my belly. So let me ask you this
because a lot of times when I hear interviews with people,
they'll say who inspired you, And sometimes it's a similar
group of people, the greats, But I always want to know,
well why, Like, for example, you mentioned like three or
four women right there, like maybe Missy Elliott, Like what
was it about her, her persona, the tone of her voice,
(14:18):
how she delivered the performance, like what was it? Honestly,
it was knowing how she held her own when it
came to production, and how she made a name for
herself when it came to originality. Like I'm the biggest
Imagine fan, and just even listening to the instrumentals that
Imagine would put out with her albums, because she would
put a separate thing out and I would just listen
(14:38):
to it. I'm like, wow, how does she piece this together?
How does she piece that together? And I think just
seeing how these women were incredible artists and stars, but
they were also involved in every piece behind the scenes.
And no one can tell your story as great as
you can. And I admire great performers and artists who
do have a huge team behind them, because that's beautiful
(14:59):
and you still have to have that it factor to
be successful. But something about an artist who can do
it all has excited me and that's what I have
wanted to become. Now, what about those women that you
were mentioned, what about any of their voices? Is there
something that triggered you? Yeah, Merrill Garbas has like the coolest,
quirkiest tone, and she belts all the time that I lose.
(15:29):
She kind of got me into wanting to do like
the weird clashing harmonies, the one that's like going against
the grain and really feeling left of sinner. So she
really inspired me. And how she lay at her vocals
and same with Imagine heap and how she did the harmonizer,
and like I would just stare at her live performances,
(15:54):
even when she did the gloves. And I was so
happy when Ariana Grande kind of commercialized it more in
a way and put more light on it because not
too many people know about Imagine and the star that
she is, so Ariana loved her. Yeah, I was like,
Ari's the coolest for doing that. It am me so
freaking happy. I love the layers and that really opened
up my mind to vocal production and how I layer
(16:16):
my vocals and you know, with Hallie and I and
how will like piece things together. Well, speaking of strong
powerful women, you recently did a song by another iconic,
strong powerful artist, Yes, Nina Simone. Yes. So it was
a part of this project that I did, and it
was all of these other incredible black artists and they
(16:36):
did their own interpretation of other songs. The song was
Feeling Good, which was recorded for Music for the Movement
Volume three, an album released to celebrate Juneteenth. I've always
been the biggest Nina Simone fan. She is so unapologetically
herself and so strong, and now she owns herself and
who she is, and you know, she really doesn't give
(16:58):
a crap about what anyone has to say. And so
I felt that that song really resonated with me, even
now more than ever, because I'm coming into my own
I'm finding who i am, I'm learning to feel comfortable
in that, and I'm feeling freaking good. And that's why
I chose that song. And I was in my room
(17:19):
and I came up with that arrangement. I started it
and it was really just my harmonies and claps, and
then I started adding the drums and the instrumentation to
it like the next day, Like I specifically followed the
strings that was in her version and did that with
my voice. So that was really fun to do. It
felt like another puzzle piece, and I was honestly really
happy with how it turned out. It feels like alternative
(17:39):
and like dark and really fun. When she performed the
song for ABC's juneteenth celebration, Chloe sang completely alone on stage.
She was silhouetted against a bright full moon. It's just
her singing and dancing with the music. I love performing
that song and I love miss Nina Simone so much,
and I was just more than honored to do it. Yeah,
(18:01):
I think she would absolutely be thrilled with that performance.
I mean, first of all, I think a lot of
people really came away from is your range is so
incredibly wide. They I mean, you go so low and
then you go so high that I mean, you really
we get everything and that Eric, I'm really grateful for
(18:26):
you because you've kind of removed those blocks that I've
had on myself mentally when it comes to my voice,
and it makes me happen when people think I'm a
great singer. I'm like, what, It's honestly still surprising to me.
I don't know why she would find that so surprising,
but anyway, another great quality Chloe has is she really
listens to advice. And right here, I'm kind of talking
(18:47):
about my advice. All of the vocal products you told
me to get, I was like taking them days before.
And remember the humidifier you told me about, because it
gets so dry in LA. When I don't have that
humidifier on, I can't really sing the best right. And
so all of the tips and tricks you told me
about I applied and I think that really helped me.
And even when we were working on it and how
(19:08):
to connect with the certain words and just make it
feel and not really be in my head about how
I sound, just more about hot feels. That really helped me.
When we did that together, we get that listening to you,
like we feel what you're feeling, which is so extraordinary
about it. And I love that you kind of take
us on such a journey because it does go so low,
(19:30):
like feeling good. You kind of think of that expression
that someone would say, I'm feeling really good, yeah high yeah,
but you took it so low that was like, oh,
I'm feeling this expression in this thought in such a
different way. Don't And then it did just climactically get
(20:03):
higher and higher. I think it really came when I
was producing the song and I just wanted to feel
like there was a constant build. I wanted to feel
(20:24):
like a roller coaster and I'm learning that I do
have a deep tone and I'm like, I should use
it more. Why not? It wasn't really strategic in my
mind when I did. I was just like, let's start
really low and then as it builds, we'll just like
ramp it up, ramp it up, wrap it up, because
I love roller coasters and that's how I wanted it
to feel. That's great. I love that. Well you achieved it.
(21:03):
Thank you, you achieved it. The fact that Chloe performed
Feeling Good without any backup dances or any special lighting
or added effects was amazing to me. It was a conscious,
specific decision to do that because I feel like the
best person to perform with for me is my sister,
and I think for the first time, no one could
(21:23):
really live up to the best person I could perform with.
And I was like, you know what, let me just
be out there and be me. Yeah, I don't need dancers,
I don't need a band behind me. Let me just
keep it simple, let me be completely and unapologetically myself.
And that's what I wanted to do. Yeah, I wouldn't
call it simple. Yes, I don't know many people who
(21:45):
could do that. I still have scars on my knees
from that, yes, because it was sequence and usually in rehearsal,
I had my knee pads, but there were sequence all
on my knees and so I was bleeding after that.
Oh my god, you're kidding. Yep. They were like these
nasty scabs on my knees, but now it's just like
lighter scars on my knees. Now, when you were doing it,
(22:06):
did you know that was happening or were you selling
them all pain? All the pain? Because I rehearsed before
I started filming it, and I felt the pain. I
knew shoot, and it was like okay, But when my
adrenaline kicks in, I kind of forget about everything else
and I just get lost in the music. So after it,
when I saw how red and purple my knees were,
I went, oh boy. Note to aspiring performers sometimes you
(22:29):
have to suffer for your art. I didn't see any
of it on your face, so thank you. That's why
I was wondering about that. Yeah. Wow, just watching you
do that was incredible. I remember it like I wanted
to hear it again. I got so focused on watching
you moved that I was like, Oh, I have to
hear the voice again, Like I have to go back
and listen again because I really want to pay all
(22:49):
attention to the voice this time. Yes, thank you. So
you are working on a solo album, which I'm so
excited about. Thank you. So let's talk about that. Does
that feel very different from everything you've done with Hallie
or is it just like another part of you, an extension. Oh,
it's a little bit of both. So my sister was
(23:10):
in London killing it be an Ariel and Little Mermaid,
and you know me, I have all this music still
bubbling inside of me. So I didn't feel right really
halting my creativity. And you know, I was creating songs
from my album, even some that will be on my
sister and I's next album. And this is the most
inspired and excited I have felt. And I really love
(23:32):
to perform and dance, and I wanted to make music
that I can really fully perform and dance too. And
I'm talking a lot of ish on the record, and
I'm really expressing myself and it feels really fun and
I can't wait for everyone to hear it. I'm really
really proud of it. Wow, I can't wait. Would you
(23:52):
say the style is different from what you and Hallie do?
It definitely is different. As much as we are the same,
we are completely different. We have different music taste. My
sister's a jazz head. Me I love like alternative. I've
been such a huge down a summer fan. I've been
doing a lot more pop and like different things that
kind of really make me want to dance and move
and just jump out of my chest. And what I
(24:15):
love about my sister and I is how strong we
are together but also as individuals, like she is such
a powerhouse on her own as well as I am.
So it's been it's me. The project is me. It's
everything that I feel, all of my thoughts. It's just
me completely, So I feel really free creating and I'm
really happy with it. Stay right there. Right after this,
(24:38):
we'll have our vocal Tip of the Week and more
from Chloe Bailey, let's do our vocal tip of the week.
In this episode, we also talked about the car engine
(24:59):
starting up exercise. It's a great exercise to strengthen your
breathing muscles, strengthen your voice, and also to loosen you
up and release those notes. Basically, you're making a sound
like an old card that is having trouble getting started.
Try it, making sure you use your breathing muscles to
create the sound. Also make sure the sound is being
(25:25):
created up front in your mouth, not in the back
of your throat. If you're having trouble getting it out
of the back of your throat, try adding in a
M before you start, like this M. It should feel good.
If it doesn't, you're doing it incorrectly. Then try it
(25:46):
on a simple melody like this bases baritones in tenners.
Start on a sea below middle c. Then stretch your
range by transposing down and then back up by half
steps like this. Eltos and sopranos. You could start right
(26:49):
here on a middle cea keep going higher by half
(27:27):
steps until you reach the highest note you can comfortably.
Don't overdo it or make it too louder, too heavy,
just a little bit goes a long way. If you
want to share yourself doing the car engine exercise, I'd
love to hear you. Use the hashtag Backstage Pass pod
on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or wherever you like to post.
I can't wait to see your videos. I'll see you
(27:50):
next week. Maybe maybe maybe maybe. Backstage Pass with Eric
Vitro is written and hosted by me Eric Vitro and
produced by Mortgage. Daffy. Katherine Girardou is our showrunner, Emily
(28:13):
Rostek as our associate producer. The show is mixed and
mastered by Ben Tolliday. Additional engineering help is from Jacob
Gorski Mia Lobell as our executive producer. Our development team LEETL.
Mullad and Justine Lange helped create the show, thanks also
to Jacob Weisberg, Heather Fame, John Schnarz, Carl Migliori, Christina Sullivan,
(28:34):
Eric Sandler, Maggie Taylor, Nicole Morano, Daniel o'lakan, and Royston Basserve.
The original theme music is by Jacob and Cita Steele
for Premier Music Group. We record at Resonates Studios. Fred
Talson does our videography and the photography is by Ken Sawyer.
A very special thanks to Michael Lewis for his inspiration
(28:55):
and the best guidance anyone could ask for. Backstage passed
with Eric Vitro as a production of Pushkin Industries. If
you like the show, please remember to share, rate and
review it. I mean that really share, ry, review it,
and if you love the show and others from Pushkin Industries,
consider subscribing to Pushkin Plus. Pushkin Plus is a podcast
(29:17):
subscription that offers bonus content and uninterrupted listening for four
ninety nine a month. Look for Pushkin Plus on Apple
Podcasts subscriptions. To find more Pushkin podcasts, listen on the
iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
(29:42):
Do you have any rituals that you do before you
get on stage? I pray, oh, I drink lots of tea,
I'll yes, throatcoat, I'll warm not hot. Yes, yes, you
taught me. And I used to burn my tongue no, no,
not good. Yeah you told me about that and I
was like, oh wow, warm nah. And I'll take a
spoonful of honey. And now I have my Manuka honey
(30:03):
packets and those have been amazing. But yeah, I pray,
I stretch, and I calm down because I'm like, I
rehearse my butt off. There's nothing much I can do
or change right now. Just breathe and let the music
take control, and you'll be fine.
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