Amazon Prime’s Swarm is Chloe Bailey’s latest love story as horror

The opening episode of the new Amazon Prime series, “The Swarm,” from creators Donald Glover and Janine Nabers, takes an unflinching and terrifying look at the dark places in Dominique Fishback’s life as her devotion and participation in the Beyhive fandom unravels. Drawing inspiration from Beyoncé and its incredibly devoted fan culture, the series tracks how her obsession drags her into a disturbing underbelly of stan culture, which is not what you would expect from a horror show.

Bailey’s ascent in Disney’s Radio continues as she premieres as one of the voices of Pop and R&B. Her artistic output has been characterized by her love of exploring horror-streaked themes. She particularly seems concerned with how love and extreme edges bleed into the aesthetics of horror. Additionally, she is set to star in a comedy musical church Black Praise and a thriller horror project Georgetown. Her nuanced portrayal of Marissa in Bailey’s Swarm, her first acting project of 2023, showcases her career choices and love for horror aesthetics. In addition, she releases her solo music, which adds to her visual and lyrical aesthetics. Bailey, one of Beyoncé’s proteges alongside Halle x Chloe, anchors the star-pop fictional series Swarm. It adds a layer of realism to Bailey’s flashy and nuanced casting. Nonetheless, Bailey’s Chloe adds a layer of nuance to Glover’s new series.

Regularly, she finds herself in unsavory situations.

Marissa, who plays Bailey in Grown-ish, has the capacity to trust and love wholeheartedly, often expressing her deepest emotions through the horror and aesthetics of her musical oeuvre. Her unique blend of darkness and sweetness recalls her own experiences, reflecting how she intertwines her trust and love for others selflessly. Whether she is granting an interview on the red carpet or acting in Grown-ish, Marissa exudes a familiar and personable aura, making people feel connected to her through her genuine tenderness.

They introduce a Christian penchant for imagery, transforming the larger commentary on the inefficacy of assimilation. In the same way, I will come out singing, baptizing me in the water, holding me. While the duo finds security and solace in the latter tracks, they explore the former Christian imagery in their examination of their relationship with God in the later album “Spoke If God” and “Baptize.” They display their understanding of the uselessness of prayers without work in their song “Everywhere.” The duo, known as Halle x Chloe, continued to explore Christian iconography and imagery in their musical careers, which kicked off with their Grammy-nominated and critically acclaimed debut studio album “Alright, Are Kids The” released in 2018. Just a week shy of the 5th anniversary of their album, “Alright, Are Kids The,” the duo premieres their new album “Swarm” on Amazon Prime.

The album opens with haunting synths and hypnotic harmonies that evoke the seductive voices of Greek mythology’s sirens. The artwork and title of the album, “Ungodly Hour,” depict the story of fallen angels hurtling through a vacuum that connects Earth and heaven. The artwork features the sisters Bailey arm-in-arm, dressed in skin-tight black mini dresses, adorned with silver angel wings, against a hazy amber background. The duo, Halle and Chloe, who have earned three Grammy Award nominations and three executive producer credits for their previous album, continue to repurpose imagery from classic Christian horror, taking their music into a more horror-adjacent lane.

Chloe, an artist whose roots are deeply tied to Black church and Christianity, feels that if she were to act in mainstream pop, she would be expected to conform to roles that were explicitly tied to her previous experiences in the church. However, she believes that her authenticity and uniqueness are grounded in the darker, more ungodly aspects of the church, and running away from her Christian upbringing is not necessarily the path she wants to take.

As an artist who has been working in the industry since childhood, Chloe leans into a horror aesthetic that is almost completely antithetical to the glimmer of the House Mouse in the public eye. It makes sense that she has a solid connection with Disney, given her appearance in Disney Channel’s original musical movie “Let It Shine” in the same year that she won the fifth season of Disney’s “Next Big Thing” and appeared in other musicals such as “Joyful Noise” and “The Fighting Temptations” in church. Prior to signing with Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment, Chloe’s public eye maturation can be traced back to her connection with Disney.

Aesthetics horror of utilizing her with two worlds, Chloe bridges the intersection of many natural points with Beyoncé’s bombastic populist gloss, and Tune-Yards’ drums loop experiment and Grimes’ glitchy witch-pop style performance and sound have shaped and inspired her. Beyoncé, alongside Missy Elliott and Tune-Yards, and Grimes, have influenced her production and some of her influences include Missy Elliott and Tune-Yards, and Grimes, whose witch-pop glitchy style performance and sound have shaped and inspired her. Beyoncé, alongside Missy Elliott and Tune-Yards, and Grimes, have influenced her production and some of her influences include Missy Elliott and Tune-Yards, and Grimes, whose witch-pop glitchy style performance and sound have shaped and inspired her. Beyoncé, alongside Missy Elliott and Tune-Yards, and Grimes, have influenced her production and some of her influences include Missy Elliott and Tune-Yards, and Grimes, whose witch-pop glitchy style performance and sound have shaped and inspired her. Beyoncé, alongside Missy Elliott and Tune-Yards, and Grimes, have influenced her production and some of her influences include Missy Elliott and Tune-Yards, and Grimes, whose witch-pop glitchy style performance and sound have shaped and inspired her. Beyoncé, alongside Missy Elliott and Tune-Yards, and Grimes, have influenced her production and some of her influences include Missy Elliott and Tune-Yards, and Grimes, whose witch-pop glitchy style performance and sound have shaped and inspired her.

Chloe’s solo debut single “Mercy” is perhaps the best executed ode to raucous large “derrières” that blends Beyoncé’s signature rap-sung cadence with Murda Beatz’s production courtesy. The accompanying music video further outlines Chloe’s continued penchant for exploring horror in the context of Greek mythology, as she assumes the role of a Medusa-esque sorority president who seduces dumb frat guys and jocks with her sensuality and body.

She no longer recognizes herself, driven to a point where her love and devotion to God has ultimately led her on a search for solace in a church. In the music video for “Away It Pray” by The Alright Are Kids, Chloe finds a sort of sanctuary as she dances in the church. The religious foundation and imagery of fallen angels in the Ungodly Hour blend with the natural progression of her halo, proclaiming her intentions to seek vengeance after being wronged by a lover. She turns to God to soothe her and explores the sacred and secular in her song. The song “Away It Pray” is a marriage of gospel choirs, dancing praise, and the firestorm of expletives, with six rows of them. This song sets the tone for Chloe’s forthcoming solo debut album, Pieces, which continues to blend horror and tragedy.

Love, often misunderstood, can make us do crazy things. Marissa’s love for Dre kicks off as murderous instincts, and it is both terrifying and sweet how her music can transform into such a powerful force. This love, terrifying and tragic, calls Bailey up on Marissa’s phone as she pleads for Dre to pick her. Her desperation is heart-wrenching, as seen in the slackness of her unconscious body and the glassiness in her eyes. The emotional despair Marissa finds herself plunged into is unimaginable, as she confronts the truth that the two closest people in her life cannot match her passion and capacity for love. Literally pouring her love into her death, Marissa spends so much time with Swarm, the serial killer, that she becomes an anchor for him in the midst of this gut-wrenching spiral. When she’s strung out on pills and calling out to death, it ultimately leads her to Dre, following the same emotional arc.