Chloe Bailey on Facing Critics Who Targeted Her for Being Too Sexy: 'Deep Inside It Was Killing Me'

Chloe Bailey may appear ultra-confident on stage, but that's not always the case behind the scenes.

After rising to fame alongside her sister Halle as a musical duo, Bailey's been branching out into solo stardom over the last few years and living by a mantra: "Fake it until you make it."

"We both didn't really know who we were individually without the other, and that's what was really scary for me," Bailey, 24, tells PEOPLE of launching her solo career in this week's issue. "It was a moment of self-doubt where I was like, 'Can I do this without my sister?'"

The musician and actress first stepped into her own with the single "Have Mercy" and a few debut performances in 2021, and she was soon met with criticism for being too sexy. On the surface, she maintained her confident onstage persona — "but deep inside it was killing me, to be honest," says Bailey.

"I never understood it. I'd look at my peers and be like, 'We're all the same age. They're showing as much as me, if not more. But if I do it, I'm ridiculed to the max,'" she recalls, noting that she eventually deleted Twitter for a period of time to shut out the negativity.

"As much as I would see it and try to act like it didn't affect or bother me, it would. I was starting to believe the lies that the trolls were saying online, and I started to look down on myself even more than what I already was doing with my own insecurities," says Bailey. "Once I ignored it, I've been good."

Once she started working on her debut album In Pieces, out Friday, the "Pray It Away" singer decided to use her low points to inform her songwriting.

"I was really vulnerable, and I was like, 'This project's going to be about all types of heartbreak — not just with a romantic partner, but heartbreak with family and friends that you trusted and thought would always be there for you," explains Bailey. "Heartbreak within yourself when it's hard to look in the mirror and tell yourself, 'I love you,' because you haven't found that self-love yet."

The album features songs like "Make It Look Easy" about situations in which Bailey's had to wipe away tears and put on a smile before performances. Another soul-baring moment is the title track, which acts as a love letter to supportive figures in her life who've picked her back up from feeling low.

For Bailey, one of those people has been her godmother, Shermay Joh. "In the darkest times of my life, she lifted me up. I physically wouldn't be here without her, and I think people can read between the lines with that," she says. "We need at least one person to help us carry the weight because it does get quite heavy sometimes."

The artist has also found support in Halle, as well as their mentor and record label boss Beyoncé and the legendary Missy Elliott — who's featured on the In Pieces track "Told Ya." While working on the collaboration, she even received some advice from the "Work It" rapper.

"She's always told me to just keep going and that she's proud of me," says Bailey, who performed a tribute to Elliott, 51, at the Recording Academy's Black Music Collective ceremony earlier this year. "To have someone like Missy Elliott tell me that — but only Queen Bey, but Missy Elliott on top of that — like, whew. God is good."

As for the criticism of her sexy performances, Bailey's no longer concerned with pleasing every viewer. Not only do her fans appreciate the self-assured nature of her onstage presence, but she does as well. "I find my confidence onstage," says the five-time Grammy nominee. "It's where I flourish."

Through In Pieces and Bailey's upcoming tour, fans will get a glimpse into the highs and lows she's faced throughout her life and career.

"The overall narrative of this project is that I don't have my s--- together, and it's OK," she says. "No matter how many times I break, I'll put myself back together.

For more from Chloe Bailey, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.