With Chlöe’s strong stage presence and ability to perform full out, many people have been saying she’s the next Beyoncé. Being a fan of Beyoncé, I understand where people are coming from in comparing Chlöe to her award-winning mentor.
Like many of Beyoncé’s fans, I want her to put out a project or music or a crumb of something just to let us know what she’s up to. We live for the days when Beyoncé lets us get any type of peek into her life. And we almost die for the times when she releases new music.
Having an extension of Beyoncé is honestly close enough—so anything that Chlöe or Halle does is equally as exciting. And to be quite honest, Chlöe’s new musical ventures have not disappointed.
There’s no doubt that Chlöe has had moments that can be compared to B’s. Whether it’s her latest music video having hints of Beyoncé’s “Check On It” or the fact that Chlöe’s voice and layering in songs live up to the hype, there’s no doubt that she is a force to be reckoned with.
Do I believe that Chloe Bailey is the next Beyoncé, however? No.
And I mean this in the best way possible. There will never be another Beyoncé.
Just like there will never be another Michael Jackson or Whitney Houston. And that’s okay. We shouldn’t be trying to recreate these greats.
Yes, it’s understandable that people instantly compare Chlöe to B after she has a great performance. But what happens when Chlöe has a bad song or even a bad day on stage? Will the world of social media be criticizing her and saying how Beyoncé would never do such a thing? More than likely, yes. And that’s not fair.
In an interview done by Billboard Magazine, when asked if she wanted to follow in B’s footsteps, Chlöe stated, “Any time people want to compare, that puts a huge smile on my face, because that’s the biggest compliment any one can give me….I hope to make my name shine in my own way.”
I am sure it is an amazing high to be described as the “next Beyoncé,” but it is also probably burdensome. As flattered as I’m sure Chlöe is, can we all do her a favor and say she’s the next Chlöe, meaning she is the next great version of herself?
This change has two benefits:
1. It gives Chlöe room to breathe, to make her own unique music without limitations.
2. It allows us to listen to her music without the unnecessarily high expectations that she has not publicly set for herself.
Chlöe does have high hopes for her highly anticipated upcoming album release, but what does that mean for the future of her role in Chloe x Halle? Will she continue to make music on her own, or will she continue with her sister Halle as a duo (or even a mix of the two)?
There’s no doubt that Chlöe can stand on her own. Days after releasing the music video for “Have Mercy,” it had well over a million views and, at this writing, it has 14 million.
Though the Chloe x Halle single “Ungodly Hour” is not the highest viewed of their videos from the album of the same name, it is the epicenter of the album, making for a good comparison between the two acts. Chlöe’s “Have Mercy” tops Chloe x Halle’s “Ungodly Hour” music video—which has been on YouTube for roughly six months—by 7.2 million.
Could this be an indication that Chlöe is more marketable or popular as a solo act? Possibly. Whichever path Chlöe chooses, she is going far in her own right. She’s making her own lane in music and I look forward to seeing the powerhouse that she is continuing to come to fruition in her upcoming album.
