Chloe Bailey performs on NPR’s ‘Tiny Desk’ concert series
Bailey makes her solo debut on the online concert series, performing songs from her new album, "In Pieces."
Chloe Bailey brought her unique brand of sexy R&B to NPR’s “Tiny Desk” concert series. The singer, known professionally as Chlöe, made her solo debut on the popular online series on Tuesday.
Bailey performed a dynamic mini-concert that lasted just under 20 minutes. She played a six-song setlist, with five coming from her solo debut album, “In Pieces.” She began her concert with the sensual “Surprise,” one of the non-album singles.
Throughout “Surprise,” Bailey showed off her sinuous voice, employing several vocal runs throughout the track as it seamlessly transitioned into the faster, funkier “Body Do.” Bailey and her band ended the track with a brief but infectious fusion of Brazilian flavor.
Again, moving on to the next song with a break, Bailey dedicated “I Don’t Know” to all her ex-boyfriends who wanted “that old thing back.” Her band executed an Afrobeat-inspired song with precision and warmth.
The ensemble initially included two background singers, but after one couldn’t make it due to flight issues, Bailey and her team decided not to have any background vocals. However, it proved a blessing in disguise as Bailey’s voice flourished in the spotlight on the closing songs “Worried,” “In Pieces,” and “Cheatback.”
With the execution of trumpeter Cameron Johnson and musical director and drum pad operator Derek Dixie, Bailey’s backup band dripped with girl power: Brandi Singleton (drums), Kyla Wright (bass), Elise Solberg (keyboards), Taylor Gamble (guitar), and Arnetta Johnson (trumpet).
Three members of Bailey’s band, Solberg, Singleton, and Johnson, played with her during her first appearance on “Tiny Desk” with her sister Halle Bailey nearly three years ago.
In December 2020, Chloe x Halle recorded five songs as part of NPR’s “Tiny (Home) Desk” iteration where artists taped their concerts remotely, away from the usual NPR headquarters in Washington D.C., due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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