Chloe Bailey Says She’s Only Labeled As R&B Because She’s Black

Chloe Bailey rejected genre categorization as a Black artist. The actress/singer explained her beef with people labeling her music as R&B in an interview with NYLON.

“Any music I do will easily and quickly be categorized as R&B because I’m a Black woman,” Chlöe said. “If someone who didn’t have my skin tone made the same music, it would be in the pop categories. That’s just the way it’s always been in life.”

Chlöe admired Beyoncé and the late Whitney Houston for defying such classifications to become pop icons. Chlöe cited Houston as one of her music idols.

“Early on in her career, when she was doing the big pop records, she got a lot of flak for that: being told she wasn’t Black enough and wasn’t catering to the base that made her,” Chlöe said regarding Houston. “To see how she persevered and has become one of the most iconic, legendary artists that we’ve ever seen, shows that music has no race, it has no genre, it has none of that. It’s just a feeling and it’s a vibration. And that’s why I was really proud of Beyoncé doing Cowboy Carter because Black people originated country music. It’s just showing that possibilities are endless.”

Chlöe began her career as one half of the duo Chloe x Halle with her sister Halle Bailey. She released her first solo album In Pieces in 2023.