When Chloe Bailey first began working on her solo album, she was already on her way to becoming a household name. As she and her sister were nailing pandemic-conscious broadcasted performances as Chloe x Halle from their home tennis court, they maintained a brand of perseverance unmatched by their peers. Around that time, in mid-2020, she had also begun laying the groundwork for what became In Pieces, which is out Friday (March 31).

Though Chloe x Halle’s stars have been constantly on the rise as a pop/R&B duo, the two always had visions for their individual legacies. When Halle flew to London to film The Little Mermaid for six months, Chloe — who styles her solo music moniker as Chlöe — needed a way to cope, as she had never been away from her sister for so long. Savvy in the areas of production and songwriting, she began recording tracks at home, unsure of where they would end up.

Between the beginning of the creative process for In Pieces and when she’s all smiles speaking with MTV News on Zoom in February, the self-proclaimed “Logic gal” admits she’s written and produced “hundreds” of songs, many of which she planned for a new Chloe x Halle album. Though she reveals that there were several points where she landed on what may be a fresh new sound for her solo era.

“I've come to that thought about three to five times over the cycle of three years,” Chlöe says. “So the project has definitely had its ebbs and flows.”

One of the first songs Chlöe wrote was “Heart on My Sleeve,” a piano-driven interlude with a hypnotic bass loop. Though it clocks in at less than a minute long, its lyrics tug at the heartstrings as she sings, “I wear my heart on my sleeve / It’s 100 degrees / I can feel every pain / Yeah, I’ve got a confession / I’m feeling under pressure / Wish I had all the answers.”

“When I realized how personal the songs started sounding, and how I was healing my heartache through the music, I said, ‘You know what, let me just put it in a solo project,’” she says.

Another raw track is the painfully relatable “Make It Look Easy,” a ballad on which she reveals that while she carries an air of confidence, she, like everyone else, deals with her fair share of struggles, romantic and otherwise. As a self-described “mush ball,” Chlöe says putting such vulnerable emotions on display isn’t difficult for her. She wrote the song in the course of five minutes; however, recording proved to be a bit of a challenge.

“Make It Look Easy” came together during a week when Chlöe was “going through a lot emotionally,” and while she was recording, she struggled to hold back tears during the process. Even months after putting it together, the song still strikes a chord with her when she listens back.

“I was in the car, and we were in New York City, and we were strolling past the streets and I saw people from all walks of life. I saw a homeless man, I saw a single mother with her child, and as I kept hearing [the phrase], ‘make it look easy, make it look easy,’ it was like, we all go through stuff, but we all make it look easy, and we all act like everything's fine,” Chlöe says. “As personal as that was for me to write, and even listening to it after the fact, I hope that it helps a lot of people to get through whatever they're going through.”

Now, taking time for herself is a vital part of Chlöe’s routine, especially as both she and her sister Halle have a busy few months ahead of them. Just a week after dropping the much-anticipated In Pieces, her musical comedy film Praise This is set to premiere on Peacock. Four days later, she will embark on her first North American solo tour. Meanwhile, Halle is already promoting The Little Mermaid and recording music of her own.

But no matter how busy the two are, Chlöe will always prioritize family, making sure she can link with those closest to her while they’re in the same city.

“By the grace of God, we are both killing it together and separately,” Chlöe says. “I'm not gonna lie, we both had separation anxiety, especially with the pandemic, when I was shooting Grownish, and she was shooting The Little Mermaid. We couldn't travel to see each other, so that was a really hard and stressful time. But now, I'm really grateful that anytime we're in the same city, we'll go and get our nails done together. We'll have our little cat play dates because my baby kitten Apollo is her cat, Poseidon’s brother. It's fun because they bring us closer together, which is great.”

Even as fans get to know a softer side of Chlöe on her own terms, there is no shortage of sexy, confident anthems on the album. In fact,  the punchy, Missy Elliott-assisted “Told Ya” was actually the most challenging to put together.She wrote and recorded the song alongside co-writer Theron Thomas — an architect of hits by Rihanna, Beyoncé, Ciara, and more — in Atlanta, while she was filming Praise This. At the time, she remembers feeling overwhelmed by people doubting her.

“I [said] to Theron, ‘I’m just tired of people saying they don't believe in me. I'm tired of people thinking I can't do something.’ I even started crying, and so we ended up writing, ‘I thought I told you that I’m the shit / You must not know who you fucking with.’ So it's almost like a pick-me-up. I had to talk my shit and stick up my chest, which is hard for me to do.”

Chlöe is no stranger to negativity, especially having grown up in the public eye. When she started embracing a more sexually-empowered image, she faced  a slew of toxic commenters on social media, suggesting she tone it down. Even recently, her sex scene on the Prime Video series Swarm, where she plays the sister of the pop-star obsessed Dre Greene (Dominique Fishback), was met with much backlash upon the show’s premiere.

Dealing with trolls and haters can be exhausting and draining, especially on such a large scale. But Chlöe has found a way to cope amid the various narratives surrounding her. When faced with difficulty, Chlöe turns to prayer, meditation, and spending time in the water.

“I spent a few days in Brazil [in January],” says Chlöe. “I was out there with my girl, Anitta, and our hotel was right by the water. Being able to go out there and swim in the ocean for two hours every day really just refreshed my mindset and gave me an even more positive outlook, and showed me how small I am in comparison to the size of the world. It made me realize that my problems shouldn't weigh as heavy on my heart as they do.”