Halle Details the Beauty of Growing Up as a Black Girl in Her First Solo Song, "Angel"
Halle Bailey is officially entering her solo era. On Friday, August 4, the singer dropped "Angel," her first solo single outside of her R&B sister duo, Chloe x Halle, and the success of Disney's The Little Mermaid.
The piano and harp-driven ballad was written by Halle, Sebastian Kole, and Ron "Neff-U" Feemster and details her experiences growing up as a Black girl in the spotlight. Halle catapulted to fame alongside her sister, Chlöe, when the queen of all things, Beyoncé, caught wind of their "Pretty Hurts" cover in 2013. Since then, the sisters have released two full-length albums as a duo and have gone on to star in projects like Grown-ish, Swarm, and of course The Little Mermaid.
Per Genius, Halle first teased her solo song on December 31, 2022 through her Instagram Stories. She posted a clip from the studio, where she sang along to the dreamy instrumental on the track. "The day that I wrote one of the best songs that will be on my solo❤️❤️," she captioned the post.
A few months later on July 31, Halle posted a stunning montage of childhood home videos and announced the song's official release date in an Instagram Reel. "Angels make a way somehow. friday. pre-save link in bio 👼🏽," she wrote alongside the announcement.
Ahead, find the full lyrics to Halle's first solo song, "Angel," along with a breakdown of their meaning.
Lyrics provided by Genius
[Verse 1]
Do you ever make it out of your head?
Do you still swim in your thoughts?
Do you still mistake your flaws for property?
Somethin' that just don’t sit right with you
But Heaven knows, Heaven knows
Your wings can't weigh you down
The song opens with a hard-hitting set of lyrics that detail the rush of emotions that come with the opportunity to be in the spotlight. "Do you still swim in your thoughts?" could potentially point to Halle's breakout role as Ariel in The Little Mermaid, which received criticism from OG Little Mermaid fans as the beloved character became the first Black live-action Disney princess.
"Getting that role felt very surreal. It was much of a shocker for me," Halle explained on the Facebook Watch series, Talks With Mama Tina, in December 2021. "Even when I was asked to audition, I looked at it and I was like me? For Ariel? That just doesn’t… ‘Cause you know, my image of Ariel that I’ve had is the red hair, the pale skin, and the tail, and she was amazing to me. I loved her, like we all did. But that’s what I’ve seen her as for so long."
She continued, "So, even the auditioning process, I remember being so scared and so nervous. I think my dad, he one time was like, ‘Let’s run through the lines.’ And I started reading them and I just started sobbing. He’s like, ‘Halle, what’s wrong? What’s wrong?’ I’m just, ‘I can’t believe I’m even gonna go for this.’ But [I’m] so grateful that I kind of get to reinvent Ariel and show other young, beautiful Black and Brown children that hey, you can be this too. You are magical and mythical and all of the wonderful things in between as well."
During an Instagram Livestream on August 4, Halle told fans where she drew inspiration for "Angel" and how she processed all of the different emotions that came with taking on the iconic role of Ariel.
"I wrote this song because the past three years of my life have been a really beautiful journey of self-discovery for me. It has opened so many doors for me, it has been an eye-opening experience. It’s a mixture of all my emotions and how I could feel so grateful for something, but also so overwhelmed," Halle revealed. "This is a huge, big thing that [The Little Mermaid] was for me. This song was my affirmation that I would tell myself to keep being able to keep going, because all of a sudden I was thrown into this world of so many different opinions," she continued.
[Pre-Chorus]
But angels make a way somehow
And if we fall, we fall on clouds
Even in her toughest moments, Halle expresses that there's love and light on the other side of darkness during the pre-chorus.
[Chorus]
Black girl here, Black girl with the Black girl hair
Took a little sunkiss just to look like this
God-sent, you're an angel (Angel)
Angel (Angel)
Angel (Angel)
Angel (Angel)
Heaven wears your halo
They know you’re an angel (Angel)
Angel (Angel)
Angel (Angеl)
Angel (Angel)
Halle's debut solo single is an ode to the beauty of Black women and serves as a source of encouragement and empowerment not only for herself but her supporters.
"It’s a very empowering message. I think I was writing it to the little girl within me, in my heart. I hope other people are inspired and feel the same way, but it’s definitely a black girl anthem. We need love too," Halle explained during her virtual release party on Instagram Live. "Everyone who can identify with feeling overwhelmed and confused about life and everyone who needs that pick-me-up of it’s gonna be okay no matter what, you’re a motherfreaking angel, you got this, you’re here for a reason."
[Verse 2]
I'm a big deal, I gеt sick and tired of holdin' it in
Rich blood, you can probably see the gold in my skin
I'm more than a girl, won't let the troubles of the world
Come weigh me down
Raise your hand if you've ever bottled up your feelings for the sake of protecting the peace of others around you (which shouldn't trump your own peace, BTW). 🙋
Halle has, too, and she breaks down that exact emotion in the second verse. She knows she's "more than a girl" thanks to her undeniable talent and drive, and she ensures that she won't let negativity get in the way of the opportunities that are coming toward her.
[Pre-Chorus]
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
Some might hate and they wait on your fall (Ah)
They don't know there’s a grace for it all (Ah)
My flaws don’t make me
Beautiful and real are you, they cannot compare, all you
Perfectly a masterpiece in all of me, even my scars
Even my scars, yeah
In the bridge, Halle reassures herself and her listeners that beauty comes in all forms—even through flaws. It reiterates the message she delivered throughout the song, with the mix of emotions that came from her meteoric rise to fame once she was cast as Ariel in Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid.
[Chorus]
You Might Also Like
