You’ve probably heard the phrase “from ashy to classy.” Last night on The Tonight Show, emerging pop-R&B superstar Chloe Bailey went “from classy to ass-cheeks” with her performance of the big booty anthem, “Have Mercy.” Backed by a string orchestra, the multitalented singer presented the trap-leaning jam as a classical sonata at first, draped in a flowing white gown with a fuzzy top. But then, she yanked off the gown’s train, showing off the sultry single’s subject, and strutted over to her drum machine, where she rebuilt the signature “Have Mercy” beat from the pre-loaded samples.
From there, she put on a virtuoso display of both vocals and her other — ahem — assets as the strings embellished the thumping drums and New Orleans bounce samples that make up the seductive solo song. As it was network television, Chloe didn’t get too frisky, but the suggestive turns and dips she did were just enough to elicit some enthusiastic responses from the crowd.
Since debuting “Have Mercy” last month, Chloe has performed the song at the MTV VMAs and seen it covered by Prairie View A&M University’s marching band, marking its growing popularity. The singer said her solo debut album is “90 percent done,” so it’s likely we’ll be hearing more from her in the near future.
Watch Chloe’s classical performance of “Have Mercy” on The Tonight Show above.
