Singer Chloe Bailey is all set to make her solo debut at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards in September with a performance of her first single, “Have Mercy.”
The elder-sister half of the Beyoncé-backed duo Chloe x Halle shared a short clip of her first single on July 1, the singer’s 23rd birthday.
In the Instagram post, she wrote, “This is 23. HAVE MERCY COMING SOON.”
The single’s provocative lyrics and the accompanying short video reveal Bailey showing off sultry dance moves in an indication that her VMAs performance may even top her eye-popping performance on the ABC’s televised special, Juneteenth: Together We Triumph, where she added sultry dance moves to Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good.”
As previously reported, Bailey’s performance was both praised and criticized as some said the risqué choreography cheapened the legend’s work. Simone’s granddaughter, RèAnna Simone Kelly, praised the staging on Twitter, saying her grandmother was a “free-spirited woman… who would have loved that performance.”
The VMAs will air live on Sunday, Sept. 12 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
Billboard noted that Bailey’s set will be a follow-up to last year’s VMA pre-show performance by Chlöe x Halle, in which the sisters sang a sparkly rendition of “Ungodly Hour.”
The duo released their Ungodly Hour album last year and are planning to tour to support the project.
In an interview with Essence, Halle Bailey said, “We are always working constantly, but what is so exciting is that Chloe is starting to release her own solo music, and I have just finished this wild two-year ride of filming The Little Mermaid. Next year, we are looking to tour our [Ungodly Hour] album together since we rolled that out during quarantine pandemic time.”
The sisters also have a partnership with PINK by Victoria’s Secret, which allows fans to shop their favorite selections from the brand’s complete collection. Additionally, they designed several tee shirts for the popular loungewear brand, calling it a representation of “unity, positivity, diversity, and inclusion for all shapes and sizes.”
This article features reporting from theGrio’s Tonya Pendleton.
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