Chloe Bailey on Her New Thriller 'Strung’ & Mixtape with Timbaland (Exclusive)

Chloe Bailey sat down with “Extra’s” Mona Kosar Abdi to dish on her new psychological thriller “Strung.” 

In the movie, Chloe plays a violinist named Laila hired as a live in music tutor for a young girl of a wealthy family. What seems like the perfect job, however, quickly unravels into a scary situation.

Bailey talked about what drew her to her character Laila, sharing, "Of course, her love for music, but also she's a goodie two shoes. And she never really got her foot wet. I think that's why temptation overtook her… because she's not really used to being in those types of environments.”

She added, "And I did play violin in fifth and sixth grade… it was fun brushing up on some of the things I remembered."

Chloe also chatted about working with the legendary Lynn Whitfield. 

"My favorite part of filming... definitely the scenes with the iconic Miss Lynn Whitfield,” she said. "I learned so much from her. The way she commands a camera and how she is so present even when it's not on her coverage… that was beautiful."

She also talked about acting versus making music, saying acting taught her “how to be a better storyteller."

Bailey explained, “You have to be raw and vulnerable and you have to let your guard down. And with music, it's all about performing, putting on a show. And that's what I've always been used to. So right now my next goal is to story tell better. But I feel like acting is getting me there more and more because you tell the story of someone else that has nothing to do with you. And there's beauty in the rawness."

The star also dished on her new mixtape “Resurrection,” which she made with Timbaland. 

Chloe said, "I created this mixtape with Timberland… and we're releasing it on Juneteenth! It's a celebration of the beauty within our community and our power that we hold within our skin, but also he has been such a prominent figure within the music industry. And I've been so inspired by him and Missy Elliott. Like I've never been shy of crediting them for the producer that I am.”

She added, "So being able to create this project so quickly and easy. Like he would send me the beat, I would send back my vocals and we were just bouncing it back and forth. We created this project in like two months. And it feels so great.”

Opening up about their process, she said, “He's amazing. His ear is impeccable. And what I also learned from him is it's okay to strip things down sometimes. Sometimes just the demo vocal of me writing the song I'd send back, he'd fall in love with that. And there were a couple times where I would recut the vocals and add a bunch of layers and he's like, 'No, no, no, no. Go back to the original. That's where the heartbeat was’... and then some records he'll let me like have my harmonies in full glory. But it was really nice learning to grab different textures in that way.”

As for her 28^th birthday coming up on July 1, she said, "I'm not a big party girl. I'm really chill. I just like being around the ones that I love. A little glass of wine or champagne and maybe a roller coaster or maybe the beach… I’m really easy."