Chlöe Bailey Doesn’t Care If Haters Think “Boy Bye” Isn’t R&B Enough
“Music doesn’t have race.”
Chlöe Bailey isn’t a one-dimensional artist. As widely known, she first shot to stardom alongside her sister, Halle Bailey, as a singing duo in 2018. Together, they reshaped pop and R&B on their own terms; delivering emotive acoustics one moment and house-inspired gold the next. Chlöe hasn’t slowed that experimental finesse in her solo career, and she recently shared her thoughts on fans wanting to limit her sound to one genre.
On Apr. 12, Chlöe released her new single, “Boy Bye.” This track has a more pop-forward touch than her previous single “FYS,” which has a softer R&B sway to it. Shortly after its release, many people on X (formerly known as Twitter) shared their first impressions of it — and they weren’t all positive.
One particularly vocal critic wrote: “CHLOE GO BACK TO REAL R&B PLEASE !! THIS YT POP AIN’T FOR YOU.” The “Treat Me” singer responded to the tweet, saying: “Music doesn’t have race. Also, I don’t have to listen to you baby xox.”
Chlöe’s response feels significant to theme of “Boy Bye,” which sees her freeing herself from a draining relationship. (If the title isn’t enough of an indicator, she also calls her ex partner a “stupid motherf*cker” who can release those breakup tears to their mom.) Artistically, she’s also letting her voice exist outside of the confines of a specific genre — and it feels natural to her, despite the pushback.
It also seems Chlöe’s been eyeing her mentor Beyoncé, who took a similar stance on her Cowboy Carter album. Shortly before its release, Beyoncé revealed the experimental album was “born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed… and it was very clear that I wasn’t.” Many believed she was referring to her 2016 performance at the CMAs, where she was met with racial backlash for performing her folksy track, “Daddy Lessons,” with The Chicks.
On Cowboy Carter, Bey effortlessly reminded everyone that she’s not restricted from any genre — that, as country legend Linda Martell once said: “genres are a funny little concept.” And now, Chlöe’s prompting her own conversation.
