Chloe Bailey, aka Chlöe, released her second album, Trouble in Paradise, on Friday. Ahead of her album release, the “Boy Bye” singer appeared on the cover of HelloBeautiful. In her interview with the outlet, she discussed her experience creating music and discovering herself in St. Lucia.
According to the 26-year-old, living in the spotlight often leads to unwarranted opinions. Bailey said she’s selective about what criticism she lets in and what she filters it out.
“Sometimes it’s hard because you can’t help but hear the loud background noise. And I admire myself maybe four or five years ago, because people’s opinions didn’t matter that much to me. I was a little more fearless,” she told HelloBeautiful. “But I also think that it’s OK to take constructive criticism, and it’s OK to decide what you want to listen to and what you don’t want to listen to and how you can apply it to yourself,” Bailey said.
To record Trouble in Paradise, she traveled to a place where she found creativity, confidence and tranquility. Bailey’s album stands as a test of her confidence; she released it without much promotion, despite negative comments online. Many fans were disappointed in the lack of promotion surrounding the new release, while others were supportive of the choice.
“I can walk around with no makeup, I can walk around loving my body, I can go to the ocean, truly just pray to God and thank him for the blessings that I have. And it reminds me that life isn’t all about what my career is. It’s not about outer validation, but the inner peace,” she said. “I just really wanted people to feel the peace and the love that this place has brought me, where it was able to open up my creative mind and my creative spirit to literally write my troubles away in paradise. And the album feels like what a summer fling feels like, the back and forth of it, the highs, the lows, the love.”
Bailey is claiming this new era after recently celebrating her birthday in July. Additionally, she’s dropped music videos for several of her new tracks, including “Might as Well,” “Strawberry Lemonade” and “All I Got.”
“So this year I want to be more at peace and more disciplined with my emotions,” Bailey said. “That’s my goal for this year, and it’s already been off to a great start where I’m learning so much about myself, where I’m learning the power of not revealing everything all the time, keeping some things to myself. Not everybody deserves access to your thoughts, your dreams, your aspirations, your inner thoughts or even your emotions.”
