The last few years have been pretty eventful for Halle. Most notably, the singer, songwriter, and actress landed the lead role in this year’s live-action reboot of The Little Mermaid—a casting choice that some small-minded online agitators didn’t agree with—and she’s been in the process of creating music outside of her acclaimed sister duo Halle x Chloe. Last Friday, the multi-talented performer released “Angel,” her first official solo single, and the song has since moved into the Top 20 on the Genius Top Songs chart.
Written by Halle, Coleridge Tillman, and producer TheRon “Neff-U” Feemster, “Angel” is a gauzy yet impactful self-empowerment ballad tailored specifically for women of color—though Halle intended the message to be somewhat universal.
“With everything I’ve gone through the past 3-4 years, suddenly finding myself in this bubble of all these eyes and new opinions, it was easy for me to feel doubt in myself and who I was,” Halle said in a statement. “This song for me was my climb out of those feelings, a mantra and promise to myself that the work I’m doing here on earth matters and that I matter. I wanted to be able to embrace and be proud of myself and who I am naturally through and through. I hope other brown and black girls and everyone in general feel embraced, respected, and inspired hearing the words of this song.”
In the first verse, Halle speaks to some of the self-doubt she faced as she stepped into the brightest spotlight of her career.
Do you ever make it out of your head?
Do you still swim in your thoughts?
Do you still mistake your flaws for property?
Somethin’ that just don’t sit right with you
In the pre-chorus, Halle pushes away the bad feelings and instead focuses on her resiliency. She’s following her calling, and as a result, she’s always going to land on her feet.
But angels make a way somehow
And if we fall, we fall on clouds
The drums pick up in the chorus as Halle celebrates the fact that she’s a Black woman who’s achieved great things on her own terms. She can feel divinity flowing through her.
Black girl here, Black girl with the Black girl hair
Took a little sunkiss just to look like this
God-sent, you’re an angel (Angel)
Angel (Angel)
In the second verse, Halle refuses to downplay her success or let external forces hold her back.
I’m a big deal, I get sick and tired of holdin’ it in
Rich blood, you can probably see the gold in my skin
I’m more than a girl, won’t let the troubles of the world
Come weigh me down
On the bridge, Halle seems to address the racially motivated hatred she faced following the announcement of her casting as Ariel in the The Little Mermaid. She somehow found a way to rise above the ugly noise and emerge stronger for the experience.
Some might hate and they wait on your fall (Ah)
They don’t know there’s a grace for it all (Ah)
My flaws don’t make me
Beautiful and real are you, they cannot compare, all you
Perfectly a masterpiece in all of me, even my scars
“I wrote this song because the past three years of my life have been a really beautiful journey of self-discovery for me,” Halle said during an Instagram Live promoting the song’s release. “It has opened so many doors for me, it has been an eye-opening experience. It’s a mixture of all my emotions and how I could feel so grateful for something, but also so overwhelmed.”
“Angel” arrived with a music video in which Halle and a team of dancers move gracefully in front of swirly cloud backgrounds and even grab a seat on the white staircase leading to heaven. The clip ends with heartwarming footage of a young Halle performing with her sister and cultivating the talent and charisma that would ultimately lead to stardom.
You can read all the lyrics to “Angel” on Genius now.
