Halle Bailey is giving back.
The Little Mermaid star recently announced her scholarship fund in support of her debut single, “Angel.”
The song was released in August to celebrate Black girls in society.
“I wrote this song because the past three or four years of my life have been a really beautiful journey of self-discovery for me,” Bailey said on Instagram Live. “It’s opened so many doors for me, and it’s been a real eye-opening experience the last few years of my life.”
Now, the artists is amplifying the meaning of the song by setting up a scholarship fund for young Black women in performing arts.
“[The scholarship] will award $10,000 each to four young Black women to support their education in performing arts,” she said. “I wanted to launch this scholarship as a part of my latest song, ‘Angel’ which I wrote to empower Black women.”
On October 2, she went on Instagram to announce the first recipients of her scholarship fund.
She captioned the video, “Okay guys!! it is my pleasure to introduce you the 2023 Angel Scholars, a group of young women that have truly inspired me. I’m honored to be a small part in helping them manifest their dreams…keep reading.”
This year’s recipients are as follows: Aliyah D. Walker, Crystal, Melodee Pouponneau, and Phyllise Tolliver.
Walker is a classically trained pianist attending Georgia College & State University. She studies music therapy and teaches children, teens, and adults who are disabled, neurodivergent, or have mental health needs.
Crystal is a rising junior theatre and performance major at Spelman College, pursuing a creative career across many verticals including acting, dancing, directing, singing, spoken word poetry, and film.
Pouponneau is a vocalist and has studied piano at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music for several years. She is now a second-year student at the Brooklyn City College — where she is studying psychology and music.
And Tolliver is a junior musical theatre major at Howard University, where she has self-produced and directed three music videos, an album documentary, and a series of performances around campus.
Congrats to these incredible young women!