EYES OF BEL ~ LIVE
Melbourne based artist/songwriter/producer, stylist & visual artist Bel is an artist born from a supernatural cataclysm; a mysterious young woman, she exists in a world of her own design, where the ugly and raw nature of the world is not looked at through rose coloured glasses. Everything is real and authentic, with no veil to hide imperfections behind. Instead, she celebrates them, unashamed and unwilling to compromise in her approach. A fire burns deep within Bel and fuels her to march forward, refusing to back down when it comes to her dreams and desires.
Bel is one of few Australian acts to be on the line-up performing on the main stage of the first four day metaverse music festival on the blockchain. A celebration of music, culture and creativity in the virtual social world of Decentraland. Many of the artists are queer and gender diverse. Alison Wonderland, Crooked Colours, Nina Nesbitt, Aluna (Of Alunageorge), Paris Hilton and Deadmau5 are a few of the acts on the lineup. The festival will go live in Decentraland, a ‘Coachella’ type experience with different stages made by incredible AR designers. It will be an amalgamation of live performance, fashion, digital garments, AR and avatars. Outside of Bel’s musical project, she has been working in this space for a while, creating and designing digital fashion for influencers, personalities and artists to wear without the environmental impact of clothing production. Festivals as such are opening doors for musicians of all genres who aim to defy the norms and expand their art. More so, perform during a global pandemic, doing justice to their overall creative visions as a performer. Bel is a musician at the forefront of this exciting new venture.
Oscar Keene (they/them), AUSFF awards finalist and i-D finalist for the International emerging designer of the year, and Bel built this visual piece, a set integrating green screen & live performance with custom digital fashion garments to be worn by her backup dancer avatars. These digital garments, can be worn in AR and avatar form in virtual worlds, plan to be marketed and sold as NFT’s on Dress X in the near future to coincide with her next musical release. Bel designed her makeup looks with creative force Moochi, integrating alien-like shapes whilst paying homage to drag and queer history. The team at Visible Studios (Tones & I, Masked Wolf etc.) filmed Bel’s performance.
INTERVIEW
This interview feature consists of an interview exploring the artists practice as a means of personal expression, vulnerability and ultimately emotional intimacy and self-acceptance. It explores the artist’s unique influences in the production of their music, asking what the key facets have been in the development of their style, genre and sound (whether lyrical or instrumental). The interview seeks to ultimately understand what emotions are paramount to both their initial journey and continuous development, and how they are of significant importance to both themselves and their audience in their outward portrayal.
What initially prompted you to experiment with music as a means of exploring and validating your emotions? How was it special and alluring in comparison to other forms of creative expression, and what role did it play in your development of self-concept?
My desire to create music was prompted by my love for poetry. I was a writer before an artist, so when I realised I could sing as a teenager, I amalgamated these mediums together. Then, it transformed into something much richer due to how music, and many of the other art forms such as fashion and art work so seamlessly together alongside sonics. The art of singing alone, I find is deeply cathartic. The freedom and escapism I feel when creating music summarises how I want others to feel whilst listening to it. The visual art component, another way to showcase my skills as a multi- faceted creator as well as invite people into a unique world built for them, by me.
Did your initial experience as a musician centre around a specific genre? Has this remained static, as in you always knew what sound best represented you, or if not, how did your initial interest in a genre traverse to what you create now?
When I studied music at university, we were taught about how limiting genre conventions are when it comes to categorisation of artists. This resonated with me deeply as I strongly dislike being pigeonholed. I describe my music as experimental or avant-pop so others who rely on genres can understand where I believe I sit. However, I’d rather not use them at all. I grew up listening to everything from Leonard Cohen to Ricky Martin, Simon & Garfunkel to Nina Simone, and everything in between. The soundscapes I create organically happened based on my personal preferences and feelings. I never trialled out styles; it kind of just happened.
Whether extroverted or introverted, vulnerability is the core of human connection; do you seek to instigate conversations about the subject matter you express, or is your work an intimate catharsis that has connected you with others as a secondary effect? Has music enabled you to enhance your practice of vulnerability? How has this influenced your life in other aspects positively?
Vulnerability can be categorised or described in many ways. For me, it’s speaking the truth, even when it’s not very pretty or palatable. I refuse to shy away from speaking it, whether it’s illuminating truths within the music industry or uncovering disingenuousness online, I have always vowed to be honest. Naturally, this makes me vulnerable. More so, susceptible to being hurt. It’s funny because I am very introverted, so it may seem counter-intuitive that I am this way. However I always feel a sense of reassurance when my words or music spark open and meaningful conversations within other groups of people. Though my influence isn’t global, I value the small platform I have very much, and just want to do the right thing by using it correctly.
What has been the most difficult experience in your practice as a musician? Whether this is related to outward performance, production, or even your personal life. How did you leverage uncomfortable experiences into a positive direction that led you to where you are now?
The most difficult part about being an artist is undoubtedly working within the industry itself. I am the founder of the ‘Aus women & GNC in Aus Music’ network; a collective of over 1.3k active members within the Australian music industry. It’s a place to raise concerns, ask questions, collaborate and more. The sexism, misogyny, emotional violation, false promises, overall misconduct and treatment of mostly LGBTQIA+ and female artists is staggering. The amount of stories I and many have relating to all of the above would shock most people. Navigating these barriers, gatekeepers and injustices as an independent, queer & female artist is very exhausting, but my god, I am strong because of it. It’s this strength I carry with me everyday, and I recycle it in so many ways that goes back into my work. It’s this strength I use to make better and better art, but mostly, to not give up despite sometimes wanting to get out of an industry that is often so unfair.
Do you believe there are both enriching and detrimental aspects to being an artist in regards to your self-concept? What are they in particular, and what parameters do you use to measure your success? What are your goals for the future?
In all honesty, I have never struggled with my self-concept or image. I pride myself on my ability to do it all; write, produce, direct, edit, style, creatively conceive, curate and design every aspect of my music and visuals. Whilst I do thrive in collaborative settings, I always call the shots creatively. I don’t think many can say this and I am proud of that. That being said, I am my own worst critic and often, bully. The parameters used to measure success of an artist such as millions of streams, radio rotations, important features and so forth, I do not feel nearly ‘good enough’. I am working on measuring my success in other ways, but it’s very difficult when the industry tells you otherwise. Independent artists are not afforded luxuries that major label artists have, such as big budgets for ad spend, radio plugging globally, music videos and global press. In some ways, it’s a hamster spinning on a wheel because the industry wants something from you that they should be providing in order for goals to be actualised. That being said, I have extreme faith and conviction in my art, and my goals are to simply continue doing what I am doing, expand my fan base globally, play killer shows and make a valuable contribution to art. And of course, to be happy. That’s a work in progress.
See more from Bel here
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