The year 2024 has been a standout year for women in music, and Chloe Bailey has just added another highlight to the books. On Aug. 9, the singer dropped her highly anticipated second album, Trouble In Paradise, featuring 16 tracks and collaborations with stars like Ty Dolla $ign, Anderson.Paak, YG Marley, Jeremih, and, of course, her younger sister, Halle Bailey. This marks the first collaboration between Chloe and Halle in three years, making it a highly anticipated reunion for fans.
Chloe and Halle have been making waves in the music industry since they were ages 13 and 11, respectively, starting with YouTube covers and landing small roles in Disney Channel shows like Austin and Ally and Let It Shine. Their big break came in 2015 when they signed with BeyoncĂ©’s Parkwood Entertainment, leading to multiple albums and opening for BeyoncĂ©’s Formation World Tour in 2016.
In 2021, the sisters began focusing on their own careers — Chloe with her debut solo single “Have Mercy” and Halle starring in the live-action blockbuster remake of The Little Mermaid. But the duo has now returned to the music scene with the song “Want Me,” an anthem for everyone fed up with their relationships.
Here’s what those “Want Me” lyrics actually mean.
From the first verse of the song, Chloe sets the stage for this emotional rollercoaster. She talks about one person who’s always there for her, always picking up the pieces when she falls. But here’s the twist — he’s not the one she wants. The guy she’s head over heels for is nowhere to be found: “He tell me I’m beautiful/ He sending me flowers/ He never leave me alone We talkin’ for hours/ But you disappear for three days at a time/ And just leave me on read.”
In the second verse, Chloe expresses the complicated feelings of when affection comes from the “wrong” person. “When he get close with his feelings, it turn me off/ If you did that type of thing, then it turn me on.” It’s a brutally honest take on how we often want what we can’t have.
Then, we get to the chorus, where Chloe and Halle lay it all out with the iconic line, “Why is it the ones we don’t want that want us?/ Why is it the ones that we love and we trust, they just get up and leave?” It’s the ultimate “Why doesn’t he want me?” anthem.Â
When Halle steps in during the bridge, the song takes on a more reflective tone. She reminisces about how things used to be, when the person she desired was all about her. “Remember, you were crazy for me, boy/ when I had my guard up,”this adds another layer to the narrative, shifting the dynamic. “I remember (I remember) when I would not give you the time of the day/ Finally gave in, now you not the same/ Why everything changed? Yeah” This bittersweet note to the song reminds us that love isn’t always as simple as we’d like it to be.
By the time we reach the outro, Chlöe and Halle harmonize on the lingering uncertainty of love when it’s not reciprocated. “You told me you love me, you told me that damn thing/ But if I heard it from you, baby, it would mean everything.” It’s a powerful last line that leaves you feeling empowered and empathetic — because who hasn’t been in that position before?