Chloe Bailey Talks Self Love, Beyonce, and Doing the Most in ‘Have Mercy’ Lyric Breakdown

Chloe Bailey shows off more than her booty in her debut solo single, “Have Mercy.” The singer stunned fans with the song last month, releasing a sexy music video with alluring choreography and a nod to Greek mythology. One music video and two live performances later, Bailey has revealed the meaning behind each verse in a lyric breakdown for Genuis.

“Have Mercy” opens with the standout line, “Booty so big, Lord have mercy.” We hear it repeated throughout the song, and as it progresses, Bailey’s voice gradually becomes louder. In her lyric breakdown for Genius, she explained, “I’m learning to just kind of be confident and admitting it and saying it.”

Bailey dropped her last name for the stage, performing and releasing music as Chlöe instead. Her solo career follows a successful run as half of the dynamic sister group—proteges of Beyoncé herself—Chloe x Halle. The singer credited Queen Bey’s “Formation” when breaking down the lyric, “I am that bitch.”

Chlöe stated, “It’s the specific line that Bey said in ‘Formation,'” referring to the iconic, “You know you that b*tch when you cause all this conversation.” The “Have Mercy” singer admitted she quotes that line to herself often when it comes to the hate she gets.

After years alongside sister Halle, “Have Mercy” is the perfect transition into Chlöe’s very own spotlight. The 23-year-old sings about her journey as a solo artist while addressing the haters along the way. “A lot of times, people say I’m doing too much, and I have been doing too much ever since I was a little girl, and that’s okay. As long as you’re being yourself, it’s never wrong,” Chlöe stated.

Chlöe also explained how the song ties into the music video by Karena Evans beautifully with the line, “Boy, you lookin’ at me like I ain’t give you no choice.”

“I think it’s beautiful how the video ties in the Medusa theme completely. I love that. It like makes it a modern-day Medusa type thing,” she commented.

Bailey recently re-imagined “Have Mercy” with a performance on The Tonight Show, Starring Jimmy Fallon on October 12. She gave the song an iconic twist. Talking directly to audiences, Chlöe said, “Thank you for coming out. I would like to perform the ‘Big Booty’ Sonata in C-sharp minor. Thank you.”

@ChloeBailey okay girl but I need you to release a version of Have Mercy with that intro from the VMA’s 😭 Got me singing your name all day in opera pitch!

— Sefyna 🧚🏽‍♀️🍄🌈 (@baetology) September 15, 2021

She still delivered the same effortless choreography, even fitting in a costume change. Chlöe dropped the glamorous skirt to her Monsoori mini dress, revealing fishnets. It showed just how versatile she is as an artist, especially after an energetic debut performance of “Have Mercy” last month at the 2021 VMAs.

chloe takes new york 🌃 …skirt or no skirt? pic.twitter.com/jVEiKbOVll

— Chlöe (@ChloeBailey) October 13, 2021

There are big things to come from Chlöe in her solo journey, including an album and movie. She has plenty of experience acting—much like sister Halle who will portray Ariel in the live-action Little Mermaid movie—and will appear in the upcoming psychological thriller, Jane. Until then, you can watch her lyric breakdown for Genius below. You can also read Glitter’s interview with sisters Chloe and Halle.