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Halle Bailey Reflects On Getting Over Racist Backlash And Advice Beyoncé Gave Her
On Tuesday (Oct. 17) night, Halle Bailey walked away with the 2023 Gen-Z Game-Changer Award at the Glamour Women of the Year ceremony. Taking place at London’s One Marylebone, the event highlighted those “who are truly game-changing in their field and celebrating feminism in all its forms.”
Today (Oct. 18), the outlet published a lengthy op-ed by the singer and actress. Among the topics covered, Halle discussed her rise to fame, signing with Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment, working on her solo project, and the realities of being a Black woman.
Midway through the piece, the songstress opened up about the online hatred and racism she dealt with leading up to the premiere of The Little Mermaid in May. Subsequently, she released her debut single, “Angel.” The record was self-described as a way of “finding myself in this bubble of all these eyes and new opinions.”
“Last November, while I was coming to terms with being in front of a new, bigger, and far-reaching audience, I wrote my debut solo single, ‘Angel,’ as a response to everything that I had gone through and overcome. I was still getting used to being in a bigger limelight, learning how to keep my head up and ignore any negative things people were saying about me as part of a racist backlash,” Halle explained.
She continued, “It was really a love letter to myself and to all of the other Black girls and women in the world who have felt like they don’t belong, overwhelmed by so many different opinions about who they are, what they should be, where they should fit in.”
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Elsewhere in the editorial, Halle reflected on the words of encouragement she and Chlöe Bailey received from Mary Mary in 2021. Occuring at the Black Music Collective event during Grammy Week, the “Shackles” duo told them, “[You] don’t have to prove anything to anyone but yourselves and God.”
Halle added, “Beyoncé gave us similar advice when we played some of our earlier songs to her. Our sound at the time was more experimental, a melting pot of different influences and genres that couldn’t be put in a box. ‘The work that you are doing is so spectacular,’ she said. ‘Don’t worry about trying to dumb yourself down. The world is gonna have to catch up to you.'”