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From starring as one of Disney’s iconic princesses in the live-action film, The Little Mermaid, to taking a break to focus on motherhood and other projects, Halle Bailey returns to the spotlight with her highly anticipated solo debut album.

The album titled love?… or something like it? was released on Oct. 24, 2025. It explored the themes of love, heartbreak and self-discovery, as reflected in personal experiences that Bailey had gone through.

The empowering work of art consists of 15 tracks: intro, overtime, know about me, his type, heaven, interlude 2, alone, back and forth, braveface, so i can feel again, in your hands, no warning, bite your lip, angel and because i love you.

Bailey also collaborated with a range of artists, including rapper GloRilla and R&B singers Mariah the Scientist, Chlöe and H.E.R.

This review focuses on the tracks: know about me ft. GloRilla, heaven, alone ft. Mariah the Scientist and braveface, with an honorable mention of so i can feel again featuring Bailey’s sister, Chlöe.

Before we dive into the analysis of these songs, I would like to acknowledge how Bailey introduced the album. She begins with a narration as an orchestra is softly playing a melody in the background. Bailey shares with listeners a story of a young girl who believed in love and had “the spirit of a ram and voice of an angel.” It is assumed that, in actuality, Bailey is the young girl and she is recalling the story within the album. As the introduction comes to a close, her angelic adlibs can be heard gently as she says, “All she ever wanted in life was to find the truest form of love. Was that ever possible? Here’s what happened.”

As someone who admires great storytelling, I can say that Bailey made a smart decision to open the album with that introduction—leaving listeners eager for more.

know about me (ft. GloRilla):

The song started off strong with Bailey hitting an effortless note to transition into the first lyric, “I’m not innocent, if only you could see, what you know about me?” She definitely showcased in this track that you shouldn’t overestimate her as she has another side to her than the naive persona that everyone assumes she is. Bailey demonstrates that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and believe what you see on the internet—celebrities are human beings with flaws, just like everyone else. Adding GloRilla to this track was the icing on the cake as she added the necessary boldness and hard-hitting lyricism to get Bailey’s point across to listeners. I also adored how the lyric, “I’m no angel, but this [halo] give you wings,” cleverly highlighted her 1-year-old son, Halo.

heaven:

Bailey truly sends the listener to ‘heaven’ with this euphoric track. It features an afrobeat that is not too overbearing on the ears and brings out the warmth of her voice. A perfect song to be played in the background during a dinner date with your lover as you two gaze into each other eyes—nothing in this world matters but the feeling of peace that is only shared within the relationship. For the singles, play this song once with your eyes closed. I guarantee it will feel like you are on an island with a gentle breeze flowing in the air.

alone ft. (Mariah the Scientist):

Bailey posted a snippet of this track three years ago on TikTok and it left not only me, but many viewers, wondering when she was ever going to release it. The time has come and she didn’t disappoint. When I was listening to the full song in the middle of driving, I let out a scream when the first lyric, “I don’t like to be alone, without you,” started. I wasn’t expecting Bailey to put it on the album and thought the song was shelved. Rest assured, it truly was worth the wait. The song featured piano playing gently in the background as Bailey serenades listeners with ethereal vocals. Mariah the Scientist added the missing piece to the 3-year-old snippet with her and Bailey’s voices fitting well together.

braveface:

This track was a reflection of the mindset that Bailey has had since the birth of her son, Halo. The lyrics, “Step one, rubbing my foundation on. Two, concealer to hide it from you, three, I hope they can’t read between the liner. Gotta blind them, touch of highlighter. Four, I put on my blush in a rush ’cause I’m flushed. Tell myself you’re more than enough,” describes the steps she takes to put on a ‘braveface’ and hide her insecurities. It was such a raw and beautiful song that depicted the harsh reality of what young women go through when seeking the validation of others. The London-based popstar, RAYE and Bailey did a phenomenal job penning this piece.

Honorable mention – so i can feel again (ft. Chlöe)

The powerhouse R&B duo, Chlöe x Halle returns in this mellow track. I admired the overall production of it as the two sisters revisited their distinctive harmonies, which they are widely known for. The song explored the theme of yearning for a past lover and knowing that it’s not the right decision to act upon. The lyrics sung by Halle, “Baby, what I would do just to have you be back and be mine. Take back what I said and just swallow my pride, pride, pride. I know that I’ll just run away and I’ll be begging for you to stay. So I can feel again,” highlights that, despite what happened in the relationship, she would willingly give up her principles to feel that spark again.

Overall, the album was a divine testament of ‘love or something like it.’ It debuted at No. 1 on the US iTunes R&B/Soul chart while on Spotify, it garnered nearly 800,000 streams during its first day of release.

Grade: 9/10