Halle Bailey is beloved as a singer (she's one-half of the multi-Grammy nominated duo Chloe + Halle with her older sister, Chlöe) and actress (best known for her role in ABC's Grown-ish). But now, the 23-year-old is entering a thrilling new career chapter as Princess Ariel in Disney's live-action reimagining of The Little Mermaid (which hits theaters May 26) and young Nettie in The Color Purple reboot (out this December).

The Little Mermaid live-action star courageously challenges the industry paradigms to provide
more versatile roles for actors of color—inspiring the next generation along the way. And of course, EDITION had to celebrate this major milestone by having Bailey grace the cover of our March "Next Wave" issue.

“Bailey’s fearless tenacity is what this issue—and EDITION’s mission as a whole—is all about,” says editor-in-chief of EDITION Bianca Gracie. “Both the outspoken next generation and seasoned creators who are entering new career chapters are breaking the status quo in their respective industries. It’s very exciting to see.” We went behind the scenes of the talent’s photoshoot to discuss mentors, her connection with The Little Mermaid and what her generation is bringing to the table.

READ MORE: Halle Bailey Dives Right Into Hollywood

The energy of Gen Z's actor class (which Bailey is a frontrunner) is exciting and "vibrant", as she describes it. "We're unapologetically ourselves, we're free. We can do what we want and we are encouraging people to be as creative as they can be and to love one another," she says of her peers. "I think that's really special and I'm inspired every single day by seeing the art that comes out of my favorite artists and the people that I consider my friends."

But she and her peers didn't walk this path alone: "Mentorship is so important. It's really the reason why I'm here today, why my heroes are here today. it's because we all have somebody to look up to and somebody that's helped guide us along the way," Bailey continues, naming her sister Chlöe and Beyoncé as mentors who have both inspired her.

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Bailey also recalls her reaction to witnessing everyone's initial reaction to The Little Mermaid trailer, especially from young Black girls who were in awe of seeing a princess who looked like them "It's a really humbling experience and position to be in," she tells us. "And I just want to continue to make these babies and everyone happy and excited to see the film."

Check out the exclusive BTS video with Bailey above, and check out the Old Hollywood glamour-inspired photos from the shoot below.

Credits

Photography: Raven B. Varona
Photography Assistant: Jesse Belvins
Styling: Nichole Goodman
Hair: Fesa Nu
Makeup: Christiana Cassell
Executive Producer: Ramya Velury
Line Producer: Akiva Hillman
Lighting and Digitech: Will Azcona
Videographer: Sade Ndya
Sound Mixer: Whitley Wilkins
Video Editor: John Macdonald