In the realm of music, there are dreamers, and then there are those like Belle, who transcend aspirations and manifest their dreams through unwavering authenticity and dedication. Hailing from California, Belle’s journey is a testament to turning dreams into reality, and she’s achieved it by staying true to herself. A Grammy-nominated songwriter, Belle’s life story is a symphony of creative achievement, lived on her own terms. Currently sharing stages with Kanye West and the Sunday Service Choir. As she unveils her latest labour of love—a mesmerizing EDM/disco EP—we sit down with Belle for an exclusive interview that offers a captivating glimpse into her journey and artistry.
Your journey is a remarkable example of turning dreams into reality while remaining true to oneself. Could you share how your upbringing influenced your unwavering pursuit of a music career and the key factors that kept you grounded in your authenticity?
My upbringing was a mashup of good and bad times. I grew up in watts, ca. I have been singing as long as i can rennet it’s just been in my blood with my dad being a gospel singer (lead vocalist of the five blind boys of Mississippi) his name was big Henry johnson. I’d say seeing him perform and sing all of the time made me stay up all night. All I could ever think about was music. I didn’t even feel poor until i had gotten into my teens. Then the motivation turned into me wanting a better life.
Touring with Kanye West and the Sunday Service Choir is a unique experience. Can you share some insights into how this collaboration came about and the impact it has had on your artistic perspective?
Kanye West got it in his spirit to start a choir. I auditioned and joined the choir in 2019. There was so much i took from that experience as we went on to tour the world, win prestigious awards and make great albums. That was all great but the one takeaway from this experience came from Kanye himself. When you have an idea you have to put your head down and tune the nay daters out. People will never believe until someone else does. Our choir under the leadership of Kanye west had some of the best talent this industry has to offer and I’m proud to have been apart of something that made such an impact,
“Building Bops” is a heart-warming tribute to family and early education. Could you elaborate on the inspiration behind this project and how your role as a mother has played a pivotal role in its creation?
I have two beautiful boys and one thing they know about their mom is that she’s always singing. My second son was learning how to read and his abc’s at the same time and so I had to go on the road for work for a couple weeks. I wrote an abc song for him and had my dear friend Brian waters mix the vocals for me. He hit me back and said hey, you need to make a whole album and so we did. I was able to work with my sister friend and great songwriter/vocalist Mika Lette on it. It was also fun to have our kids singing in the album. My kids inspire me daily to always try and press forward.
Your upcoming music video release for “Just Be Good to Me” has generated significant anticipation. Can you provide us with a sneak peek into the inspiration and creative process behind the video, and how it aligns with the song’s energetic vibe?
“Just be good to me” has been a favorite song of mines since I was a kid. It was made famous by the sos band an rnb soul sensation. The music video takes the audience into how I see the lyrics. It’s energetic, electronic with beautiful visuals. Just be good to me was released July 21,2023 and produced by Brad Grobler of big productions worldwide . It has an amazing future rave mix that was released august 18th (Here’s a sneak peek of the video) My album is filled with the influence from some of my favorite euro dance and house artist one of whom I sing Lead for Labouche famous for be my lover and sweet dreams. I’m so excited for the dance world to embrace me.
Your versatility as a songwriter has led to placement in Erica Campbell’s gospel album “Love.” How do you approach crafting music across different genres, and what were the highlights and challenges of collaborating with Erica Campbell?
I love working with other writers and singers. This song “trust and obey” came about from a situation that i knew wasn’t okay but it was so good that it made it hard to trust and obey. I wrote this song with a good friend of mine songwriter Gromyko Collins and the super producer warryn Campbell of my block resources produced the song. Each song is different most times you don’t sit in the studio with the artist and most times you do. There’s was no challenge working with Erica Campbell at all. She’s such an amazing and anointed talent. It’s my honor to be on her labor of “love”.
