Halle Bailey Says She's 'for Sure' in Love with Boyfriend DDG as She Covers Essence with Sister Chloe

Sorry, Prince Eric — Halle Bailey is taken.

While gracing the cover of Essence's September/October 2022 issue with sister Chloe, the singer and actress — who is set to star as Ariel in the upcoming live-action The Little Mermaid — opened up for the first time about her relationship with boyfriend PontiacMadeDDG, or DDG, saying that she had been "a fan" of the rapper and YouTuber "for years" before they met.

"I grew up being on YouTube and would always see the young Black creators and was constantly inspired by them. He was one of them," Halle told the magazine. "I completely forgot about him. But then I saw that he was dropping music, and I really gravitated toward this one song. Coincidentally he messaged me — and the rest is history."

While it's unclear when exactly Halle, 22, and DDG (né Darryl Dwayne Granberry Jr.), 24, started dating, rumors of a romance started to swirl in January when the two were spotted at Usher's Las Vegas residency together. DDG then confirmed their relationship when he posted a romantic birthday tribute to Halle on Instagram in March.

Asked now whether she's in love, Halle said, "Yes. For sure I am."

Matt Winkelmeyer/Variety via Getty Halle Bailey and DDG

Elsewhere in the interview, Halle touched on her relationship with her loved ones, describing herself as a "protector."

"If you've got a problem with so-and-so, then we've got a problem," she said. "I'm a fire sign ... If I love you and somebody crosses you, it's over. That's been my stance since I was young."

She also got candid about embracing her body's changes.

"Finally, I'm 22 years old, and some of the weight is sticking, and I'm happy about it," she said. "Chloe has the booty, and I'm getting some cleavage."

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Eric Johnson Chloe and Halle Bailey

Chloe, meanwhile, opened up about her journey to finding body confidence.

"As much as people think I'm so confident, 80 percent of the time I feel the complete opposite of that," she said. "That's why I put so much of myself into my music. That's where I feel like myself and where I belong in this life — whenever I'm onstage. The girl I see and I watch sing back, she intimidates me. I'm like, 'Who the hell is that?'"

She's also found a way to express her individuality through her style.

"It's really about making a statement and showing people who I am through my clothes, through my armor," she said. "Fashion isn't all about being expensive and wearing brand names. It's about feeling put together and looking like how you want to feel and how you want people to perceive you."

RELATED: Beyoncé Gifts Chloe Bailey Flowers After Her BET Awards 2022 Performance: 'Making Me Proud'

Eric Johnson Chloe Bailey

With her upcoming debut solo album, Chloe said that she's "breaking free" from the boxes that people have put her in through the years.

"It's everything that I've been going through, all the tearing down, people underestimating, telling me I can't do it — all of those things have gone into the music," she said. "The album is me picking myself up and talking myself out of any little place or space that the world has tried to put me in, that people and personal relationships have tried to put me in, and even [doing that to] myself."

RELATED VIDEO: R&B Duo Chloe x Halle Share the Music Advice Beyoncé Gave Them: 'Let the World Catch Up'

The two sisters — who perform together as Chloe x Halle in addition to their solo projects — first gained fame in 2013 when their covers of songs like Beyoncé's "Best Thing I Never Had" and "Pretty Hurts" went viral on YouTube.

Their videos eventually caught Beyoncé's attention, and she signed the duo to her Parkwood Entertainment company, through which they've since released everything from their debut EP, 2016's Sugar Symphony, to their latest album, 2020's Ungodly Hour, and Chloe's recent solo singles, "Have Mercy," "Treat Me," and "Surprise."

Eric Johnson Halle Bailey

As Halle prepares for the release of The Little Mermaid next year, as well as the remake of The Color Purple (in which she'll portray young Nettie), she said she's found her individuality "through God — through talking to God every day by prayer, by meditation and through music."

"I think finding myself is going to be an everlasting journey," she said. "And while I feel like I know myself at 22, I'm constantly getting to know more about who I am."