Chlöe Bailey is Allure’s new cover star. The singer opens up to the mag about body image, her sexy on-stage persona, and what she’s looking for in a relationship.

She tells Allure her relationship to her body is “complicated.” “I’ve always had thick thighs and a butt,” Chlöe says. “But I was growing up at a time when, if someone on television told you that you had a big butt, they meant it as an insult. So I was a little ashamed of my curves. I tried to hide them. It took a very, very long time. Now my favorite thing about [my body] is my butt.”

Chlöe cites Beyoncé and Jill Scott as singers who championed body positivity and made her feel more confident in her own skin. Now, she expresses that confidence while performing.

“I’m fearless. I feel sexy. I feel strong. I feel like nothing can hold me back,” she says of her on-stage persona. “…When I’m [not performing], I’m a bubbly, corny, clumsy person.”

That’s something she says can be confusing to men who want to date her.

“I present myself in my music videos as this really sensual girl, but when it comes to love and relationships, that’s not how I am,” she says. “But that’s what guys think of me sometimes. So, I’ve been pretty protective of my heart and figuring out guys’ true intentions.”

She adds, “I just want them to appreciate my nerdy side, my work ethic, and be my best friend. It has to be someone who’s really intellectual because that’s sexy. You can teach me things.”

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