Halle Bailey is, by her own admission, an old soul. “It’s a running joke in my family that I’ve been a grandma since I was a little girl,” says the actor and musician who may not yet be a grandma but is a mother, mind you. Sometimes Bailey herself can hardly believe she’s only 26.
She’s lived a lot of life for someone in their mid-twenties. Bailey was 13 when she and her sister Chloe were signed to Beyoncé’s music label; 17 when they released their debut album The Kids Are Alright as Chloe x Halle; and 18 when that album earned two Grammy nominations. She wasn’t yet 20 before their second, the slinky and self-assured Ungodly Hour, earned three more. That same year Bailey was announced as marine life princess Ariel in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid; the racist backlash to her casting would’ve aged anyone in her position at least 10 years.
