Why Chloe x Halle Abandoned Their Plan to Drop ‘Ungodly Hour’ on Its Original Release Date
The world might currently be stopped in its tracks, but R&B duo Chloe x Halle certainly aren’t. The talented sisters have been putting in work for months, giving us out-of-this-world performances and chart-topping hits.
They’ve also been promoting their sophomore album, Ungodly Hour, which has been making waves since its release back in June.
Beyoncé first discovered Chloe x Halle in 2015
Just like many young people today, Chloe and Halle Bailey’s musical journey started on YouTube. The sisters would frequently post videos of themselves doing stunning covers of hit songs by stars such as Rihanna, John Legend, Alicia Keys, and more.
Then in 2015, the musical duo uploaded a beautiful rendition of Beyoncé’s “Pretty Hurts,” which went viral and caught the attention of the Queen Bey herself.
The pop superstar went on to sign the talented sisters to her label, Parkwood Entertainment. She also stepped in as a guide and mentor to the singers, giving them valuable advice on how to navigate fame and the music industry.
“She’s a boss and she takes care of her own,” Chloe said of Beyoncé while speaking to PopSugar earlier this year. “She’s independent and knows what she wants, and she’s not afraid to articulate that.”
The sisters have even adopted Bey’s headstrong attitude by trusting their instincts when it comes to making tough career choices. “That’s what we truly admire about Beyoncé . . . she’s allowed us to grow in our own right, and as much as she is vocal, she lets us fly on our own,” Chloe said.
Their album ‘Ungodly Hour’ has received critical acclaim
Since signing to Beyoncé’s label, Chloe x Halle have been making waves in the music industry with their critically acclaimed albums and fire performances.
In 2016, the singers released their debut EP, Sugar Symphony. Later that same year, they made cameo appearances in Beyoncé’s Lemonade visual album and served as the singer’s opening act for the European leg of her Formation World Tour.
In March 2018, the singers released their debut album, The Kids Are Alright, which received mostly positive reviews and earned the sisters their first two Grammy Award nominations.
The singers’ latest album, Ungodly Hour, debuted to critical acclaim in June 2020. In its first week, the album climbed to the No. 16 spot on the Billboard charts, making it the duo’s highest-charting album to date.
Today, the record sits on Rolling Stone’s top 50 list for the best albums of 2020.
The respectful reason Chloe x Halle postponed their album release for a week
Though Ungodly Hour was a smash hit the second it dropped, the days leading up to its release were pretty stress-ridden for Chloe and Halle.
While sitting down with Cosmopolitan for their October 2020 cover story, the sisters revealed that June 12 (which was when they dropped the album) wasn’t the original release date for the project.
Instead, the sisters had initially planned to release Ungodly Hour on June 5. But with all of the mourning and protesting taking place in light of the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many others, Chloe x Halle felt they were “not in the right state of mind to release our project.”
The duo didn’t want to come across as disrespectful by taking people’s attention away from what really mattered and decided to push back their album release to support the Black Lives Matter movement.
After waiting a week, Chloe x Halle finally dropped their album — but not because their record label execs told them to. Instead, the sisters did so because they felt the world needed a little positivity and some good vibes.
“Music has been such a healer for the Black community since the beginning of time,” Halle told the outlet. “Maybe it could help some people distract their minds from quarantine and what’s going on in the world today with hope and positivity.”
