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| Photographer: @le5s1sm0re |
Danielle Bellas has already got so much attention with her single 'Starship' inspired by the late 90's R&B songs. Her music video premiered last week teasing the senses of the audience. So, it was about time to sit and talk with this talented girl and learn more about her and some great news that she has to share with us.
1) Hi Danielle. Welcome to Matterz. How are you? 2018 seems to be a busy and creative year for you. How is it going so far?
Hello! I’m great thank you. 2018 has started with a bang and I’m loving it! I can’t wait to see where it all leads.
2) You’ve just released your first official music video for ‘Starship’. How are you feeling about it? Do you have something special to share with your fans about the concept, the process, or some funny stories?
I’m so proud of my first official music video and I’m so excited that it’s finally out there! It was a crazy ride to get it done as this is actually the second video I filmed for the single. The first one didn’t work out as expected, mainly because it was a vision in my head rather than the directors, and I should have realised that no one can re-create a vision that’s in my head! So I decided to start again and leave it up to the director and it turned out great!
We kept it super simple and just found a stunning location that didn’t need much to make it look amazing. It was a bit of a trek through the bush to get there, but it was so worth it. It all went pretty smoothly, aside from when a couple of hawks nearly took down the drone that was filming me! I didn’t realise they were after the drone so I was petrified for a moment thinking they were going to attack me!
3) Your first single had some very positive reactions. Can you tell us what inspires you to write a song and what your thoughts were when you wrote ‘Starship’?
I’m so pleased people are loving Starship! Anything can inspire me to write - sometimes it’s a book I’ve read, or a concept I’ve learned about, or just how the backing track makes me feel - whether it’s an upbeat, positive vibe, or a more mellow, ballad-style piece. This was very much a collaborative process too, so sometimes I would share my concept and we’d work on that, sometimes we would just play around with ideas and something would stick.
With Starship, the chorus was already there as we sampled the old 70s track by Norman Connors. But we decided to turn it on it’s head a bit and write around a relationship that has lost it’s spark, but I didn’t want to give up on it, I wanted to remember the good times and try to bring the magic back.
4) Your song is inspired by the late 90’s R&B greats. Can you tell us what influence this music has had on you and your vocal style?
The 90s was when I got seriously into my music and I would spend hours in my bedroom singing along to the likes of Janet Jackson, Aaliyah and TLC and I think it has definitely shaped the way I sing and honed the softer, sweeter, warm tones in my range. It’s only in later years that I started exploring the more stronger, ‘beltier’ tones and began having confidence (and fun!) with that.
5) How are you feeling when being compared with artists like Jennifer Lopez, Aaliyah, Janet Jackson at the beginning of your career? Is it stressful? Do you think that you have more to prove more in the music industry?
It is incredible being compared to those artists, it is a huge compliment as they have all inspired me so much and I pretty much wanted to be all 3 of those women at different times when growing up! So I try and stick to thinking of it as a compliment rather than stressful. I’m still finding my way in this crazy industry and there’s room for everyone, so I’m just doing my thing and not focusing on what I want to ‘prove’. I’m just doing me and hoping people respond positively to it!
6) You started your career as a member of the UK girl band ‘Urban Lady’ whilst studying for your degree. What has changed between then and now?
For me, the biggest change is probably that I live in a different country! I’ve also grown in terms of confidence and vocal ability, and I’ve learned a lot about myself. I’ve recorded a lot, some good, some not so good, and here I am now, with an album that I’m super proud of.
In terms of the changes in the industry, the biggest change I’ve seen has got to be the Internet and the unbelievable impact it has had on music. It wasn’t widely used when I was in Urban Lady, so we were seriously old school, like printing flyers to hand out to people rather than using any kind of social media, which didn’t even exist! It was a very different game back then. Labels would actually develop artists rather than just wait for them to have done all the groundwork and then take them on. There were physical albums, and when someone released a music video, you had to set an alarm to actually watch it on TV; there was no on-demand service like YouTube! Haha!
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| Photographer: @le5s1sm0re |
To be honest, I had just got to a stage where I craved adventure, a change of scenery and some sunshine! It was a scary decision to up and leave everything I knew, but it has turned out to be the most amazing one as it has led me to this point right here and I’ve had some incredible adventures along the way, with many more to come I’m sure!
I wouldn’t say the move has influenced my sound; I’m still stuck in the 90s, haha! I also recorded the album in Glasgow with my original producer Jud (who actually is the reason I ended up in Urban Lady - I’ve come full circle!) that I’ve known for years and he knows me and my music style really well, so it was awesome.
I of course miss my friends and family, but I also miss the West End with its incredible theatre scene, along with the history and culture of London. However, there is an incredible lifestyle in Sydney so I’m very happy here, living by the ocean and enjoying the sunshine. I feel so grateful every day to be where I am!
8) Your debut album is due for release soon. Do you have any specific release date or title? Could you give us some hints about the recording process, the inspirations for the making of this album? Will the songs be in the same style with ‘Starship’?
I don’t have a specific release date in mind just yet; I’m keeping it fluid for the moment and will see how the next few singles go. But it is likely to be in the second half of the year. I have a title, but again, that could change, so I won’t say just yet, it’s still early days!
The album was originally going to be an EP of 6 songs, but after recording them and having the best time, I was so thrilled when Jud suggested we do a whole album, so I booked another trip to Glasgow and we wrote and recorded another 6 songs!
With this album, I decided that I wanted to put together a body of work that I loved, not necessarily following any trends, and I wanted songs that were a homage to what inspired me to sing. So we came up with the idea of Motown meets 90s R&B and just ran with it! The songs have a retro-feel to them, some are more Motown, some are more 90s R&B, some are a fusion of the two and there is a sprinkling of Pop in there as well which mixes it up a bit. You can expect smooth vocals, lots of harmonies, catchy melodies and good vibes.
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| Listen to the song on Soundcloud / Buy it on iTunes |
9) This album is co-written and produced by the well-known UK production duo Jud Mahoney and Natalie DeLucia, who have worked with Michael Jackson, Brandy and Britney Spears. Could you tell us more about this collaboration?
I first met Jud when I was about 18, and have worked with him multiple times over the last decade. He grew up in South East London too, very close to me, and we hit it off the first time we met. He’s worked with some of my biggest inspirations and essentially honed his craft with some of the legendary producers in the 90s, so he was able to perfectly create the sound for the album that I wanted. Natalie is an insane vocalist and a harmony Queen! She vocally produced me for this album and it was an amazing and super fun process. The 3 of us wrote all of the tracks for the album together and had a blast!
10) What’s next? Any plans for a tour?
I’ve got some awesome remixes of Starship to release, one in particular by the amazing Rishi Rich that has had some great traction and that people seem to be loving. So I’m excited to put them out and then get to work on releasing my second single, which is one of my favourite tracks from the album :)
I definitely want to tour this year, it’s high up on my list, so I’ll see what opportunities come my way. I’m hoping to come back to the UK within the next few months too for some promo, so keep a look out for me!
11) Do you have a special message for your UK fans?
Thank you so much for your support, it means the World to me and I can’t wait to share more of my music with you this year! I hope to see you soon when I head back over, meanwhile, if you want to keep up with what I’m doing, you can find me on Instagram: @danielle_bellas
12) Danielle, thank you very much for this interview.
No, Thank You, the pleasure was all mine!