Believe It Or Not, Chloe x Halle’s First Song Was 'Terrible'

Chloe x Halle's origin story famously goes like this: they started posting YouTube covers as preteens with extremely angelic harmonies; their videos impressed Beyoncé enough to be the first-ever signees to her Parkwood label; they scored first gigs on Bey's Formation and On The Run II tours; and right now they're thriving as both musicians and actresses, on Freeform's Grown-ish. However before all of these dazzling accomplishments, the sister duo — who are MTV's Push: Artist to Watch for the month of July — were just two kids with a self-described "terrible" song to their name.


As Chloe, 20, and Halle, 18, recounted to MTV News, their first taste of the limelight came if they performed with each other — in matching outfits, no much less — at a summer camp talent show, nabbing the first-place prize with their cover of "Summertime." That brought up them to try crafting original tunes of their own, which turned out to be a weirdly somber experience.


"I remember the very first song we wrote, it was called 'What Makes You Sad' and we wrote down a long list of what makes us sad," Chloe recalled, as Halle joined her in singing one of the most memorable lines: "What makes you sad? / Losing your loved one.'"


"It was a terrible, terrible song," Chloe laughed, adding, "[But] we built from then on and kept growing and, you know, getting better."


All of that growth and improvement is laid out on the sisters' recently released debut album, The Kids Are Alright, which boasts bangers like "Hi Lo," ballads like "Cool People," and anthems like the self-assured title track, which is essentially the exact opposite of "What Makes You Sad." Chloe told MTV News the song is all about empowering young people to "raise our voices," and that's exactly what the sisters are doing with their music — even if the description on their YouTube channel ("just two women who love making music in our living room") is much also modest to encapsulate it.


"Just knowing that I get to do this with my best friend — we're just making music that we adore, and it's therapy for us as soon as we create," Chloe explained. "And seeing how it affects all of those souls and why they're obtaining it so well... It really, really means a lot to us."


Check out an exclusive, magical efficiency of Chloe x Halle's "The Kids Are Alright" below.