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Key Takeaways:
- Chlöe Bailey said Sinners made her cry because it reflected the harsh realities of the music industry.
- She drew parallels between the film’s themes and the pressure artists face to compromise their values to achieve greater levels of success.
- Bailey also reflected on how the industry often rewards conformity over authenticity and talent.
For Chlöe Bailey, watching the film Sinners hit close to home. During a recent TikTok livestream, she opened up about how the movie’s themes reflect the darker side of the music industry. The singer compared the film’s storyline to her own experiences navigating artistry and the pressure to conform. More specifically, the multi-hyphenate drew parallels to the character Sammie Moore, whose musical gifts made him a target for pressures to compromise his artistic abilities.
Three months after its theatrical release, Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s box office juggernaut continues to captivate audiences. The part vampire, horror, action, and musical film had the biggest opening for an original screenplay since 2019 and brought in more than $365 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.
“It’s like, you could have a gift, like he did with his guitar, and like they said, when he’s singing, he’s honoring his ancestors and uplifting and all of that, but then it also attracts the not good. So, it’s like in order for him to be successful, the vampires were telling him he has to sell out…[so] that he could live forever and his music could live forever,” explained the Trouble in Paradise singer.
Social commentary surrounding the global success includes fans delving into its litany of themes, from the history of the Delta blues to, of course, the decades of bloodsucker lore, among others. The story is in part centered around twins Smoke and Stack, portrayed by Jordan, opening a juke joint in their Mississippi hometown of Clarksdale in the 1930s when they encounter a new form of evil: vampires seeking to appropriate the culture, stories, and music of the townspeople.
Chlöe admitted she has witnessed creatives at the crossroads of staying true to their values and craft or selling out to achieve their wildest dreams. “It was showing, like, the people who decided not to go to the other side, they were in there fighting for their lives, they were in there going through it, while the ones who did give in, they were outside celebrating and having a good time and got things quicker,” continued her reflective prose.
In the end, circling back around to her deep resonance with the plot, Bailey said, “No matter how hard you work, no matter how good of a person that you are, no matter how talented you are, sometimes that’s not enough to get you places that you need to be… anyone in the industry can really resonate with it.”
Chlöe thrust to stardom as one-half of Chloe x Halle, the duo she formed with younger sister Halle Bailey. She launched a successful solo career with her debut LP, In Pieces, in 2023. Her sophomore effort, Trouble in Paradise, was released in 2024.
Her Sinners reactions offer more than just a movie review; instead, it highlights her willingness to share candid reflections of her own journey in the industry. Her honesty adds another layer to the ongoing conversation about what it takes to thrive as an artist — something she is adding to simply by playing by her own rules.
