Is Beyoncé to Blame for Chloe Bailey’s Album Flop?
Chloe Bailey’s debut solo album hasn’t performed as well as expected, and many online users are blaming Beyoncé. Since Chloe is signed to Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment, some fans feel that Beyoncé should have done more to support her artist. One fan even wrote, “Nah, Beyoncé could at least have posted Chloe Bailey on her Story. I mean…”
A Closer Look at Parkwood’s History
Chloe’s struggles aren’t the first sign of trouble for Parkwood Entertainment. The label has had other setbacks, too. But before we get into those, don’t forget to check out rrgsnacks.com, our online concession stand offering barbecue bacon jerky, green apple licorice, and gummy sour bears.
Parkwood’s Beginnings and Challenges
Beyoncé launched Parkwood Entertainment in 2008 as a production company for films and videos. The company partnered with Sony Music and TriStar Pictures to produce the 2008 film “Cadillac Records,” with Beyoncé playing the lead role of Etta James. Although Beyoncé won a Grammy for her rendition of Etta’s song “At Last,” the film didn’t do well at the box office. According to Box Office Mojo, the movie had a $12 million budget but only made just under $9 million worldwide, resulting in a $3 million loss. That’s a tough break.
The following year, Parkwood tried its hand at another film, “Obsessed,” starring Beyoncé and Idris Elba. This time, they hit it big, with the film grossing over $70 million worldwide on a modest $20 million budget.
After that, Parkwood decided to broaden its horizons by becoming a management company and a record label under Columbia Records. Beyoncé built a team of assistants, executives, visual directors, creative directors, a general manager, a brand manager, and digital media experts to help redefine her place in pop culture. In 2011, after allegations that her dad was stealing money from her, Beyoncé decided to manage herself through Parkwood, releasing her albums and TV specials through the label.
At an event in New York, Beyoncé said, “When I decided to manage myself, it was important not to go to a big management company. I wanted to follow in Madonna’s footsteps, be a powerhouse, and build my own empire.” The music industry has a notorious reputation for exploiting black artists with shady contracts and legal loopholes. Through Parkwood, Beyoncé aimed to give her artists a fair shot, acting as a mentor and providing them with the guidance and freedom to explore their talent. In 2015, she expanded the company to include a record label and signed three new acts to the roster.
First up was rapper Ingrid Burley. She said, “I’ve been moving since I left New York state, but now I’m back.” Ingrid grew up in the same neighborhood as Beyoncé, although she was closer to Solange during their childhood. Ingrid’s mom was also friends with Beyoncé’s mom, Tina Knowles. When Ingrid’s mom passed away when she was six, she was raised by her dad, grandmother, and her mom’s best friend. She joined a girl group, and at age 11, Beyoncé’s father, Matthew Knowles, started managing them. He taught her how to perform, speak clearly, and hold a microphone properly. Ingrid said, “He made me question every single thing I put down on the record before letting anyone hear it because he always wanted you to be the best version of yourself.”
In 2010, she left Texas and moved to Brooklyn to advance her career. With only five thousand dollars, she ran out of money after three months and started selling artwork while pursuing music as ib3. She opened for Drake and J. Cole before getting invited in August 2012 to write for Beyoncé’s fifth studio album. Ingrid flew to the Hamptons for Beyoncé’s writing camp. These camps usually take place in large, spacious locations with separate rooms for writers to brainstorm and collaborate. They can last a few days, a week, or even longer.
At the 2012 writing camp, Parkwood wasn’t ready to sign new artists. However, Beyoncé’s assistant told Ingrid that everyone loved her songs. Ingrid worked with Beyoncé almost every day, getting tons of feedback and rewriting and re-demoing 30 songs up to 15 times each. According to Ingrid’s appearance on Genius’s YouTube channel, the next year she contacted two label execs at Parkwood about submitting more music to Beyoncé. Ingrid was told that Beyoncé wasn’t listening to new music at the time, but four days later, she was invited to another one of Beyoncé’s writing camps.
This time, it happened in Los Angeles. At a camp, Ingrid overheard label executives discussing Beyoncé’s feedback on another Parkwood artist’s music. This made Ingrid realize they had lied about Beyoncé not listening to new music. Frustrated, Ingrid decided to express her anger in a song directed at Parkwood Entertainment. As the beat played, she couldn’t shake off the betrayal, leading her to write the lyrics: “Ten times out of nine, I know you’re lying, but nine times out of ten, I know you’re trying. So I’m trying to be fair, and you’re trying to be there, and to care.” These lyrics became part of “Love Drought,” featured on Beyoncé’s 2016 album “Lemonade.” Ingrid co-wrote the song with Mike Dean, a versatile musician who once played in Selena’s band. No, not that Selena—this Selena. Mike has also worked with artists like Young Jeezy, UGK, Scarface, and Jay-Z. Although Ingrid and Mike wrote most of the song, Beyoncé also received songwriting credits for “Love Drought,” leading many to speculate it was about her marital issues. However, Ingrid revealed to Genius that writing the song was her ultimate act of revenge against the lying executives at the label. She kept this secret, thinking, “One day, Beyoncé will sing the song I wrote about her label.”
In 2015, Beyoncé signed Ingrid to Parkwood Entertainment, along with 17-year-old Chloe Bailey and her 15-year-old sister, Halle. The label also signed 15-year-old Sophie Beam, a former contestant on “The X Factor.” Since Chloe, Halle, and Sophie were minors at the time, their contracts were filed in Manhattan Supreme Court and required judicial approval, making the contracts public. According to “The New York Daily News,” the Bailey sisters agreed to a six-album deal worth one million dollars, with Beyoncé receiving 15 percent of their gross earnings. In court documents, their father stated, “We cannot think of a better person to help guide the girls.”
He also mentioned that his daughters adored Beyoncé. Regarding Sophie, Parkwood offered her a two-year artist development deal worth $560,000. However, according to “The New York Daily News,” the label didn’t think Sophie was “ready to begin recording music.” This raises the question: why sign her if they didn’t think she was ready? Was Parkwood just trying to control her career and prevent other labels from signing her? Sophie explained the situation in an interview with “Untitled” magazine. She said that Beyoncé had told her that a singing career could be very lonely. Beyoncé had her groupmates in Destiny’s Child for support when she was starting out, and Chloe and Halle had each other. Beyoncé wanted Sophie to have someone by her side as well.
When Sophie first signed with Parkwood, Beyoncé suggested she join a girl band to avoid performing and doing interviews alone. However, as they worked on developing Sophie’s sound and image, they discovered she was an excellent dancer. Since dancing was going to be a significant part of her performances, it made more sense for her to be a solo act.
The three new Parkwood signees believed their lives were about to change dramatically. They thought being guided and mentored by Beyoncé, and benefiting from her connections, would catapult them to the top of the charts. However, Beyoncé’s own career meant she couldn’t always be available. When asked how much they interacted with her, Sophie told “Untitled” magazine that while Beyoncé was on tour, they would send her their music, and she would provide feedback through notes. Eventually, there would be a meeting, likely with someone from Parkwood, to go over the feedback.
In 2016, Beyoncé invited several ladies to make cameos in her “Lemonade” visual album. Sophie was one of them, diving into writing songs, performance training, and media coaching. She told “The Pop Break” website, “I really got to figure out who I am as an artist. I wasn’t just thrown out there, which is really nice.” In March 2016, Sophie released her debut self-titled EP, featuring a track with Fetty Wap, who was riding high on the success of his hits “Trap Queen” and “My Way.”
That spring, Sophie opened for Charlie Puth in Los Angeles, with Beyoncé and Jay-Z in the audience. After the show, Beyoncé sent her some notes about her performance. Sophie loved touring, even though it was a gritty lifestyle. She and her mom traveled to the tour dates in a van, with her mom sleeping on the floor and Sophie on the seat. After shows, they often had dinner at McDonald’s. Sophie told “Entertainment Weekly” she was working on a full-length album, with Beyoncé reportedly very involved. However, after her contract with Parkwood expired, it wasn’t renewed, and her album was never released. Sophie is now a student at USC’s Thornton School of Music. Unfortunately, she didn’t approve our follow request on Instagram, so we’re left wondering what she’s up to.
Ingrid also released an EP called “Trill Fields” in 2016, but as of now, she hasn’t released a full-length album with Parkwood. In a 2021 interview with Ms. Blue Radio Show, Ingrid said she was still signed to the label but couldn’t release any music without their permission. As of 2023, she’s working as a DJ at a bar and grill in Houston. Now, let’s talk about Chloe and Halle.
Based on how their fellow Parkwood artists have fared, it’s clear that Chloe and Halle are the most successful on the label, aside from Beyoncé and Jay-Z. They’ve released two albums: “The Kids Are Alright” in 2018 and “Ungodly Hour” in 2020. “Ungodly Hour” had their biggest first-week sales, debuting at number 16 on the Billboard 200 with 24,000 units sold. They’ve been nominated for four Grammy Awards and have won a Billboard Music Award and two NAACP Image Awards.
The sisters have also ventured into acting. While Halle was filming “The Little Mermaid” overseas, Chloe was putting the finishing touches on her solo project “In Pieces.” Chloe told ET Online that Beyoncé listened to the album and, as she always does, sent Chloe a bunch of notes before the project was released. Chloe was proud of the project, but she soon realized that most of her 6 million Instagram followers, who tuned in for her social media presence, didn’t support her new album. “In Pieces” debuted at number 119 on the Billboard charts, selling only 10,000 copies in its first week. Many of Chloe’s fans blamed Beyoncé for not promoting the album on social media, with some even suggesting that Chloe leave the label for one that would give her more support.
Now, let’s compare this to Yo Gotti’s approach. With over 6 million Instagram followers, Yo Gotti uses his social media not just to highlight his own music and relationship with Angela Simmons, but also to promote the artists on his CMG record label, which he founded in 2012. Recently, he’s posted about his new artist Lil Papa, Gorilla’s appearance on “Wild ‘N Out,” EST Gee’s music video, and a song by Mozzy. He also has posts dedicated to Moneybagg Yo and Blac Youngsta. Yo Gotti supports his artists by accompanying them to interviews and performances. In a Billboard interview, he talked about balancing his roles as an artist and record label executive, saying, “When my guys drop, I’m playing all positions: marketing, promotion, executive, street team. I’m flying out, landing with you, going to the club, playing security.”
Let’s check out Beyoncé’s Instagram. There’s a picture of her, then another, and another. Here she is with her family, and there she is with her husband. You get the idea. With over 300 million followers, Beyoncé has the platform to promote her own artists. One post could have made a huge difference for Sophie and Ingrid. It’s been almost ten years since she signed her first act to Parkwood. Maybe we just need to be patient and let her grow into her role as a label owner. Or perhaps this just isn’t the right fit for her.