“Individually we are one drop, together we are an ocean.” The poetic Twitter bio of Chloe (19) and Halle (18) Bailey could be applied to both their sisterly partnership and the united front of the women of the world. Perhaps you discovered the Atlanta-born, LA-based sisters from the hugely successful YouTube covers they started sharing with the world when they were barely teens? Or maybe it was when Beyoncé picked up on their tear duct-tickling cover of Pretty Hurts from her 2014 self-titled album and — no big deal, honestly — shared it on her public Facebook page? It’s the stuff that dreams are made of.
As if that wasn’t cool enough, Bey soon signed Chloe and Halle to her Parkwood Entertainment label for a cool million dollars, invited them along as tour support on her 2016 Formation World Tour, and had them star in her iconic Lemonade film, part of the ultimate girl gang alongside the likes of Amandla Stenberg, Zendaya, Serena Williams, and Ibeyi. So far, so (really really) good. They’ve also opened for Michelle Obama’s SXSW keynote speech, and in June of this year released their debut album The Two Of Us; 16 empowering experimental pop tracks in the vein of their mentor, centered around their impressive vocals.
The duo have clearly been busy in their home studio, Chloe on production and Halle honing her guitar skills, as in the lead up to the release of their second LP Kids Are Alright, they just shared the upbeat anthem, I Said So. Written for UNICEF’s World Children’s Day and an event they attended at the United Nations HQ in NYC this week (naturally), the song is a reminder that every little thing gon’ be alright. As if their young CVs weren’t already massive enough, fans are also counting down the days until the launch of Black-ish spinoff Grown-ish on 3 January, in which they’ll star alongside i-D star Yara Shahidi. Yara recently took to Twitter to say this about the sisters: “They are honestly a physical manifestation of light and love. Using both their music and very existence to spread beautiful energy and togetherness.”
Without further ado, let this playlist of inspirational women, curated especially for i-D by Chloe and Halle, soundtrack your day. “Music is such a big part of our lives!” they told us over email. “Whenever we’re feeling sad, down, or discouraged, these are some of the songs we play. These songs are special to us because they were created by other strong, resilient women who inspire us on a daily to hold our head and spirits high.” Soak it up.