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Interview with
BELLA MAREE

(26th November 2022)

Interview by Dave Bruce

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Bella Maree is a professional musician, singer-songwriter, guitarist and self-producer who has been performing for various events since the age of 10 and writing and recording music since the age of 11.  

Inspired by a mix of electronic music such as Billie Eilish, Jessie Reyez, Tora, Little Dragon, Vera Blue, DARKSIDE, Highasakite, Emma Louise and Lo-Fang; Bella Maree has taken a mix of these soulful, electropop, contemporary R&B influences and begun producing her own flavour of chilled-electronic music with her latest releases. 

‘They Don’t Know Me’ has a fresh take on contemporary R&B with elements of pop and hip-hop. The vocal performance delivers the lyrics with sass.

Lyrically it sings about despite being around acquaintances, friends, or even family, feeling like they don’t know you properly. It’s about how everyone has their surface level personalities and interactions with others, whilst having a much deeper story about themselves that most have no idea about. Overall the song has a quirky up-lifting and light-hearted feel about it, giving off vibes of amusement, contentment and shrugging it off.

“‘They Don’t Know Me’ was a song I wrote while reflecting on the fact that my everyday life and persona was different to the “real” me and my experiences.

It describes a feeling of isolation in the lack of understanding that I felt from everyone around me and the putting up of a facade or talking about things that didn’t really matter.  

Since writing and reflecting on this song that I wrote in 2018, I’ve realised that everyone can feel this way; we are all icebergs with our deeper stories and experiences hidden underneath the surface.”

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Have you always wanted to be a musician? When did you get the song writing bug?
I always remember singing, but when I was about 7 – my brother Keanu (2yrs older than me) started learning guitar & singing in school & he would always teach me what he learnt. We started singing and harmonizing together, then writing together. From the age of 10 onward I was getting paid to perform; first in the duo with my brother called ‘Strange Angel’, then in bands in Thailand, then solo for the last 8 years. Music is all I’ve ever known, ever wanted to do, and always will do. I have been writing songs since I was about 10 or 11, I have always stayed consistent with it, I continue to write new songs all the time and perform them at every gig.

How would you describe your sound? Why do you think people resonate with your music?
I produce chilled-electronic music that’s a mix of soulful, electropop and contemporary R&B. Sometimes more up-lifting and quirky like ‘They Don’t Know Me’ and sometimes more ambient and down-tempo like ‘Blindfold’.
I write very honestly about real experiences and feelings that are relatable to a lot of people, and that combined with a good beat and memorable hooks or melodies is why I think my music resonates with people.

Which artist’s music and/or performance, past or present, inspires you today?
Back in 2014 when I had only recently moved back to Australia after living in Thailand for 3 years, I was walking through Queen St Mall in Brisbane and came across this live-electronic band named ‘Tora’.
I was captivated straight away, it was my first real introduction to the chilled-electronic music scene, and from that point on I knew that’s where I wanted to take my music. Very inspiring.

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Your new Single is about to be released! Describe its origin and evolution.
They Don’t Know Me’ was written back in 2018 when I realised that anyone that I knew, barely knew anything about the kind of life I’ve lived, what my childhood was like, the circumstances I’ve been in etc. all these kinds of experiences that have shaped me. It was a strange kind of solitary epiphany to have at the time, yet somehow simultaneously amusing to me. I wrote it while reflecting on the fact that my everyday life and persona was different to the “real” me and my experiences. It describes a feeling of isolation in the lack of understanding that I felt from everyone around me and the putting up of a facade or talking about things that didn’t really matter. Since writing and reflecting on this song that I wrote 4 years ago, I’ve realised that everyone can feel this way; we are all icebergs with our deeper stories and experiences hidden underneath the surface.
Like with all of my songs, TDKM began with me writing it on my acoustic guitar and performing it at my solo-acoustic gigs. When it came to producing it in the studio, I was really excited to accentuate the quirky vibes and really set that light-hearted mood of laughing and shrugging it off.

Is there an EP or Album on the drawing board?
I have a bunch of songs old and new that I am continuing to produce one by one. My plan is to release more singles, more frequently; it seems like the more done thing in the current music scene. But if there is interest there for an album then I’ll work towards that for the future.

Any tours or events coming up soon? What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
The single launch for ‘They Don’t Know Me’ will be at the beginning of 2023. Date TBA. Not only will the launch be celebrating the single release of ‘They Don’t Know Me’, but it will also be the first launch of my new live electronic show. I’m really looking forward to finally bringing the chilled-electronic vibes that I love so much out of the studio and in front of a live audience for a bunch of ticketed shows throughout 2023!

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If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why?
This is such a hard one! But to choose one music artist or band to perform with, alive or dead, I would pick Highasakite. I found their music back in 2014 and have loved them ever since, they have a really nice variety of vibes while still maintaining their unique sound and style. The live shows they put on seem incredible with so much effort put into every aspect; performance, costume, lighting, atmosphere, the list goes on. I have actually been in contact with the lead singer, Ingrid, and the band’s manager since 2020 as we have been discussing performing together on their next tour of Australia (unfortunately it was postponed due to COVID and there are no new dates set, yet). I would choose Highasakite because not only am I a fan of their music, but they have truly been an inspiration towards my own. To perform with them would not only make sense with blending our vibe, but it would be a dream come true and it’s even a realistic possibility.

What are your long-term aspirations as a music artist and how are you progressing towards them?
My long-term aspirations as a music artist is to get to a point where I don’t have to spend as much time frantically trying to self-manage, so that I can spend more of my time creating. Ideally I would love to be performing with a full live-electronic band, in front of larger audiences, in larger venues and doing a bunch of really special beautifully curated ticketed shows. I love the idea of actually presenting an experience, not just a performance. I love collaborating with other artists and not just musicians, but all kinds of talent; so my long-term goal would be to one day put together a show that presents a big combination of performance with music, dance, acting and creative lighting, for an all round captivating and story-telling experience.
For now, I’m practicing my live-electronic show and approaching some really great musicians here in Darwin to see about putting together this band. Everything takes time, so I’ll just keep putting one foot in front of the other towards my ambitions.

With that in mind, what piece of advice would you give to an artist starting out?
If I had any piece of advice to give to an artist just starting out, it would be to… lose yourself in creativity and do all you can to follow the motivation when it’s there. When it’s not, it’s okay because it can come and go in waves. Creativity doesn’t flow very well under force. Create, write, practice, learn, build up an archive of material, and perform to see what resonates best with yourself and the audience in front of you. Get a big whiteboard and set realistic short-term goals, write to-do lists that you can tick off by putting just one foot in front of the other, and remember to believe in yourself.

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What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? What’s been the career highlight so far?
The best thing about performing to a live audience is the energy in a room that you’re creating and seeing how each song has different moods that reflect on the people in the crowd. I love the connections with strangers who tell me they related to every lyric of a song and felt as though I sung it for them. There are crowds that listen intently, still and stuck in a gaze; you could hear a pin drop – it’s intense, and special. And there are crowds who get up and dance while trying to sing any part of the song that catches on, I love the feeling of building and maintaining that kind of fun energy too. I have fond memories of different gigs with these 2 different kinds of crowds and energies. Some have been at intimate acoustic songwriters nights for locals who all have a genuine appreciation for music. Others have been at bigger fun shows singing lead in the band when I lived in Thailand, for crowds of tourists and expats all dancing around having a blast.

Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album – INSIDE by Bo Burnham
Artist – Bo Burnham
Movie – Avatar
Place to visit – Koh Samui Thailand.
Venue to play – Secret Garden Beach Resort, Koh Samui.
Food – Pasta
Drink – Water
Person in History – Nikola Tesla
Tattoo – On my left wrist: a treble clef at the centre of a pulse line

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Follow BELLA MAREE
Facebook – Tik Tok – Instagram – YouTube

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AMNPLIFY – DB