You may know her as Ariel the Disney princess, have seen her face on Grown-ish playing Sky Forster, or recognize her voice in harmony with her sister Chloe’s on their two albums. Despite Halle’s amazing resume, I’ll let you go down that little rabbit hole on your own. For now, all you need to know is that on August 4 of this year, Halle came out with her first solo single. The declaration of solo artistry is no simple step as it arguably sets the tone for the rest of someone’s career. For a step so delicate and crucial, Halle decided to release a song for all the angels out there.
The song is dedicated to young Black girls—and women— as an empowering message of self-love and acceptance. Throughout the song, Halle affirms the rich beauty of Blackness while simultaneously giving grace when experiencing insecurities and the trials of life. Though using the comparison to angels, she admittedly expressed how the beauty of an angel is not perfection without flaws but perfection in spite of them. It’s a sweet reminder that Black women and girls must give themselves the room to be human.
After the first listen it’s clear Halle’s powerfully elegant voice is easy to fall in love with. The song a more of a ballad. Which wasn’t all too surprising when considering Halle’s sound. Her softer tone definitely warrants a song styled in this nature. The vocals are layered and mixed perfectly. And when listening with headphones or even in a car with respectable subwoofers, Halle will take you to another planet; truly angelic.
The unique part of this song that I couldn’t overlook is the message of love and pride while also validating struggles. For its target audience, I think it’s a breath of fresh air. Often times with “Black girl empowerment music” we are simply called to love our skin or hair but rarely ever asked to love our flaws. Rarely ever asked to find pride beyond our physical features. “Angel” is an invitation to stop, to listen and to feel. To, yes, be empowered but in your Blackness, girlhood/womanhood, and humanity as you experience it. It’s honestly a song that was designed to pour into the listener.
As far as the first step to going solo goes, I think Halle did a wonderful job. I’m excited to hear more music from her and to see where her musical career will go from here. Until then, I will continue to enjoy this love letter of a song from one angel to another.