Chloe Bailey discusses her admiration for Nina Simone and her take on 'Feeling Good'
Chlöe of Chloe x Halle is opening up on her interpretation of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good."
The singer, who is one half of Grammy-nominated duo Chloe x Halle, covers the famous 1965 track in the new star-studded EP, "Liberated/Music for the Movement Vol. 3," from ESPN's The Undefeated.
She said the opportunity to cover the song holds a lot of meaning for her.
"When I was younger, my sister and I would sing it together back in Atlanta," she told "Good Morning America" following her 2021 Summer Concert Series performance on Monday.
"Now being 23 in like 10 days, being able to reinterpret the song and make it feel more of me -- and it was already difficult because I've always been in love with Nina Simone's rendition of 'Feeling Good' and just feeling her joy in the pain and everything in her voice within that song -- I wanted to make it my own," she continued.
While appearing on "GMA," Chlöe was also asked about her buzzworthy performance during ABC's "Juneteenth: Together We Triumph" special on Friday.
"I have always loved Miss Nina Simone forever," she said. "The performance was inspired by her spirit and her confidence and her honesty. I worked incredibly hard to put it all together. I still have scrapes and bruises from all the rehearsals."
"I'm just so happy to see that her granddaughter loved it, and I'm happy that there are people who loved it as well," she added.
She said the song is extremely "special" to her.
"Whenever I sing this song, it means what it says -- it's just, I'm feeling good, no matter what," she said. "It's a way that I can express myself -- no matter what the world says, no matter even on the bad days what I tell myself in the mirror, no matter what I'm feeling good. I just have to have a positive outlook on life because the birds are chirping, the sun's out and I'm feeling good no matter what."
Chlöe said she's also honored to be featured on the "Liberated" EP alongside so many other talented artists, including Yara Shahidi, Cordae, Lucky Daye, Kamasi Washington and Common.
"Being a young Black woman, everything I do, it speaks for itself," she said. "I never really have to be like, 'Oh, I'm Black.' Everyone sees it -- my life experiences -- everything reflects who I am as a Black woman, and being able to put my love and freedom for being who I am into this project was really, really fun for me."
She said she's been hard at work this year creating music that's made her "the happiest."
"I've been so inspired from life experiences and it's fun trying new things," she said. "I can't wait for everyone to hear it. And I miss my sister ... she's in Italy, but she's killing it and I can't wait for us to be reunited. But in the meantime, I've been working on my stuff and I hope everyone likes it."
The Undefeated and Hollywood Records' "Liberated / Music For The Movement Vol. 3" EP is out now.
WATCH: Chloe performs "Feeling Good" on "GMA"
