''The Kids Are Alright'' is the debut
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by American
R&B duo
Chloe x Halle
Chloe x Halle are an Contemporary R&B, R&B duo composed of sisters Chloe Bailey, Chloe and Halle Bailey. At a young age, the sisters performed in minor acting roles before moving from Mableton, Georgia, to Los Angeles in 2012. The two began post ...
. It was released on March 23, 2018, by
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
's record label
Parkwood Entertainment
Parkwood Entertainment, LLC is an American management, production, entertainment company and record label founded by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter in 2010. The company began as a production unit for films and videos in 2008. It has offices located in N ...
. The album features guest collaborations from rappers
GoldLink
D'Anthony William Carlos (born May 17, 1993), better known by his stage name GoldLink, is an American rapper and singer. In 2014, he released his debut mixtape, ''The God Complex'', which received critical acclaim. In June 2015, GoldLink was cho ...
,
Kari Faux
Kari Rose Johnson (born June 11, 1992) better known by her stage name Kari Faux, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer from Little Rock, Arkansas. She is best known for her flamboyant dress, and conversational style of rap. ...
and
Joey Bada$$
Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott (born January 20, 1995), known professionally as Joey Badass (stylized as Joey Bada$$), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A native of Brooklyn, New York City, he is a founding member of the hip-hop collective Pro ...
. The album earned them their first two career
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
nominations for
Best Urban Contemporary Album
The Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for quality works on albums in the urban contemporary subgenre within the R&B field. Honors in several categories are presented at t ...
and
Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...
for the
61st Grammy Awards
The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted. During her opening monologue, Keys brought out Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and fo ...
.
The album is primarily a R&B album, although it features elements of
trap
A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research.
Trap or TRAP may also refer to:
Art and entertainment Films and television
* ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...
. The album was supported by the title track, released as the lead single on January 3, 2018. Along with fourteen new songs, the album also featured "Grown", the track recorded by the duo that serves as the theme song for the American comedy series ''
Grown-ish
''Grown-ish'' (stylized as ''ish'') is an American sitcom series and a spin-off of the ABC series ''Black-ish''. The single-camera comedy follows the Johnson family's children as they go to college and begin their journeys to adulthood, only to ...
'', as well as two songs from their 2016 EP ''
Sugar Symphony
''Sugar Symphony'' is the debut extended play (EP) by American recording duo Chloe x Halle. It was released under Parkwood Entertainment, under exclusive license to Columbia Records, on April 29, 2016. The EP was their first official release sinc ...
''. The song "Warrior" was featured in ''
A Wrinkle in Time
''A Wrinkle in Time'' is a Young adult fiction, young adult science fantasy novel written by American author Madeleine L'Engle. First published in 1962, the book won the Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and ...
''.
To promote the album, the duo performed the album track "Happy Without Me" and "The Kids Are Alright" on ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...
'', and released a 10-minute short film named after the album.
Background
Chloe
Chloe (; ), also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root ', which relates to the colors yellow and green. T ...
and
Halle Bailey
Halle Lynn Bailey (born March 27, 2000) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is best known for being one half of the musical duo Chloe x Halle with her sister Chlöe Bailey, together earning five Grammy Award nominations since 2 ...
began work on the album "three years ago, since before
our EP, and before
our mixtape." In an interview with ''Time'', the girls mentioned
Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
and
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop si ...
as inspirations for the record.
When asked about the title, Chloe said,
"The title means so much to us; we're speaking about ourselves as we're growing into young women, telling ourselves we're going to be OK. We'll make mistakes and we'll have obstacles, but we'll overcome them. But then also in a general sense, with this generation and how the world has gone mad and all these crazy things that are left for this generation to handle, it's just proclaiming that we will be alright no matter what, and they shouldn't worry about us. I love being part of this generation because we're not afraid to let our voices be heard, and we're not afraid to speak our mind."
Critical reception
The album received mostly positive reviews.
Writing for
Refinery29
Refinery29 (R29) is an American multinational digital media and entertainment website focused on young women. It is owned by Vice Media.
History
Justin Stefano, Philippe von Borries, Piera Gelardi, and Christene Barberich co-founded Refinery29 i ...
, Courtney Smith stated, "Chloe x Halle write lyrics that address love, both universal and romantic, but do the latter from a place of power... It's a reminder to not underestimate or infantilize them simply because they are young."
Sydney Gore for
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
wrote, "Overall, this record is loaded with catchy bops, hardcore bangers and beautiful ballads with uplifting messages that will surely turn into anthems for various experiences in your personal life."
Briana Younger, writing for
''Pitchfork'' said about the album, "The Beyoncé-approved sister act are fearless on their debut album, reshaping
pop and
R&B in their own images until even the highest-profile co-signs seem beside the point... Listening to their debut, it's easy to believe that if
God
In monotheism, monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator deity, creator, and principal object of Faith#Religious views, faith.Richard Swinburne, Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Ted Honderich, Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Ox ...
spoke, she would sound like Chloe x Halle." ''Pitchfork'' rated the album 7.6 out of 10.
Gabe Bergado wrote in a review of the album for
''Teen Vogue'', "Within the first few minutes of listening to Chloe x Halle's debut album ''The Kids Are Alright'', you'll be completely entranced by the sisters' dreamy vocals and electrifying beats."
Alex Zidel wrote for ''
HotNewHipHop
''HotNewHipHop (HNHH)'' is an online publication that covers daily news about hip hop and pop culture, including streetwear, sports, and sneakers. In addition to its editorial content, HotNewHipHop also produces the video serieses; ''How to Roll ...
'', saying, "
he album wowsmany with impressive chemistry and an undeniable charm." Also listing "Happy without Me" as an album highlight, he wrote, "In a pairing that not many expected would sound this beautiful,
Joey Bada$$
Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott (born January 20, 1995), known professionally as Joey Badass (stylized as Joey Bada$$), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A native of Brooklyn, New York City, he is a founding member of the hip-hop collective Pro ...
and Chloe x Halle makes for a fantastic collaboration... Joey complements the pair's voices as he raps seamlessly throughout his bars."
''The Kids Are Alright'' film
Immediately following the release of the album, the duo released a short film on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
named after the album. The film highlights six songs from the album, and features a guest appearance by
Ashton Sanders
Ashton Durrand Sanders (born October 24, 1995) is an American actor best known for his portrayal of teenage Chiron in the Academy Award-winning film '' Moonlight'' (2016).
Early life
Sanders was born in Carson, California. He attended Grand A ...
. The film was directed by Cara Stricker, and written and creative directed by Kwasi Fordjour.
Awards and nominations
, -
! scope="row" , 2019
, ''Grammy Awards''
, Best Urban Contemporary Album
,
, -
! scope="row" , 2018
, ''Soul Train Awards''
, Album of The Year
,
Track listing
Credits adapted from
ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
,
Tidal
Tidal is the adjectival form of tide.
Tidal may also refer to:
* ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple
* Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim
* TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music
* Tidal (servic ...
, and
SESAC
SESAC is a for-profit performance-rights organization in the United States. Founded in 1930 as the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers, it is the second-oldest performance-rights organization in the United States. .
[
*
*
*]
Notes
* signifies a co-producer.
* signifies an additional producer.
* "Hi Lo", "Baptize", "Down", "Happy without Me" and "Cool People" feature vocal production by Chloe Bailey and Halle Bailey.
* "Fake", "Galaxy" and "Babybird" feature guitars by Halle Bailey.
* "Happy Without Me" features keyboard and programming by Adam Messinger, Nasri Atweh, Mikhail "Sad Money" Beltran and Chloe Bailey.
Charts
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kids are Alright
2018 debut albums
Chloe x Halle albums
Columbia Records albums
Albums produced by Malay (record producer)
Albums produced by the Messengers (producers)