Five-time Grammy nominee Chloe Bailey says her love of God and music merged while filming the Peacock original movie, “Praise This,” which debuted on Good Friday, April 7, 2023.
“I grew up singing in my [grandmother’s] church in South Carolina, with my sister, Halle. We loved doing that all the time,” Bailey told the Christian Post.
Along with the business aspects of Gospel music, “Praise This” focuses on the healing power that can come through singing worship, according to Bailey.
“All the Sundays that we would be down there, we’d be singing. My late cousin, Sherry, was a choir teacher, and my aunt Sandy plays the piano in church every Sunday, and she was the music director as well. So, it’s sprinkled throughout [my family]. And I’m happy that I could merge my love of God and my love of music for this.”
Bailey said the movie exposed her to “the gospel competitive world.” The only time she can recall was in her choir at school.
“I’ve never been on this side of the competitive world when it came to gospel music. So, it was really fun exploring that,” Bailey said.
Bailey plays a character named Sam in the film, whose father [Philip Fornah] sends her to Atlanta to live with relatives. He is concerned about her friends and lifestyle.
In Atlanta, she meets cousin, Jess, played by Anjelika Washington, who gets her to join their church’s gospel choir ahead of a national competition.
Along with the business aspects of Gospel music, “Praise This” focuses on the healing power that can come through singing worship, according to Bailey.
“Singing is one of my favorite ways to praise God, as well as just the good old praying,” she said.
“Whenever I feel sorrowful and heavy, I put on my favorite gospel song playlist, and I just sing my heart away, and instantly my spirits are lifted. … Music is what heals us, as well as God. So, when you have these two forces that bring such love to the forefront, it’s an incredibly powerful thing.”
Almost ready to release her debut album, “In Pieces,” Bailey hopes that “Praise This encourages viewers to accept themselves for who they are and never doubt God’s grace.
“I hope what viewers take away from this is that we all have our own journeys and our own paths,” she said.
“And no matter which way or form that we come, God will accept us no matter what, and that family is everything. You don’t have to go down a dark path to make your dreams come true.”