INTERVIEW: Bel releases new single 'Better Than Me': 'Genre conventions are quite literally the bane of my existence'

Melbourne based performer Bel is so much more than a musician. Her work encompasses fashion, music and art and she returns today with the single ‘Better Than Me’, her first new music in two years.

First bursting onto the scene in 2016 with the single ‘Melancholia’, Bel’s music trades on electro, classical, pop and rock but ultimately defies all genres. After the release of her debut EP in 2017, also called Melancholia, Bel made a decision to step away from music to better understand herself and her craft. After exploring different artistic mediums such as poetry, creative direction, fashion, visual art and design she was able to refocus on who she is as an artist and emerged back in the music world with ‘Better Than Me’. A stirring, all encompassing track that excites and impresses the listener at every turn, it is well worth the two year wait. We recently had a chat with Bel to delve more into the creation of the song and her artistic journey.

Hi Bel! Thanks for taking the time to chat with us.  First up, how is life for you at the moment?
That’s no problem at all! Life is nice for me right now. I’m currently in LA! It’s Grammy week so it’s an exciting place to be for a musician at the moment.

If we take it all the way back to the beginning, what are your first memories of music?
My first memories of music though hazy, are really special for me. Between my dad’s love of The Beatles, Leonard Cohen, Simon Garfunkel and my mum’s love of Latin and world music, I grew in a fairly diverse and eclectic musical environment. Though my parents are not musicians or creatives, they are very cultured and made sure my sister and I were exposed to the arts from the get-go. We were taken to the ballet, various musical concerts and shows, theatre and so forth from infancy. I feel so lucky to have grown up with parents who love and support the arts so much.

Was there a particular moment when you decided you wanted to be a musician?
Yes. Though I always wanted to be a creative, the realist in me never allowed myself to even humour the idea of it. I told myself from such a young age that being a musician would never be possible or sustainable, so I had my eyes set on medicine. However, the desire grew stronger until at 16 years old, I was in the right place at the right time and was introduced to some people in the industry. It took me one meeting with them, one little taste of music, to complete rewire my life plan; a life plan that I considered to be safe, practical and somewhat fulfilling. Clearly, I didn’t need much convincing to switch tack.

You have said your music is strongly influenced by other mediums – art, film, photography and so on. Music is often considered to be a separate beast, but do you think there are more parallels than we like to think?
It’s very simple. If you look at the definition of art, there are various criterion that must be met in order to fulfil the definition. Music, fashion, film and so forth, all fit the diverse set of criteria. For me, music is my primary focus. That being said, I have an extensive and diverse background in fashion in particular. It would be a disservice to my music to ignore other mediums that also mean so much to me. The way I see it, I should integrate these passions into one thing that is uniquely me.

Your new single ‘Better Than Me’ is out on now, and it is brilliant! Can you tell us a little about the inspiration behind the track?
‘Better Than Me’ follows the narrative of a girl who is going through various metamorphoses; from passive to assertive, teenager to adult, quiet to loud. It’s a very important track to me, and I hope that the lyrics provide solace to those who are wanting to scream out the same message to whomever or whatever made them feel like they are second best.

Like all your music, there is a very experimental, alternative vibe to the track with it riffing on a number of different genres. In a two-pronged question, how important is warping genres for you as a creative, and do you think we all get too hung up on trying to categorise music into certain styles?
Genre conventions are quite literally the bane of my existence. I studied this in university and became quite passionate about it. Whilst I understand and respect why they exist, I really don’t want to be categorised. They will almost always limit an artist, or not properly encompass all that they are and have to offer in music. Whether it’s music style, sexuality, dietary preferences – I don’t see labels as useful. If anything, they inhabit people to be less than, or smaller than they potentially could be without the confinement of a particular label. We live in a world where everything must be sorted into categories in order to cope with the chaos in the world. Music is music. People are people. That’s my view.

You have also said that pop music gets a ‘bad rap’ and is something most people are ‘embarrassed to love.’ Why do you think pop music isn’t afforded the same respect as other styles of music?
Pop music is just slang for ‘popular’ music. It’s also viewed as a less intelligent form of music. To some degree, I understand that. So much sexism, racism, classism, homophobia and so forth exist within the lyrics. In a lot of cases, the music is vapid and has no meaning at all. However, all musicians have so much to learn from pop music; vintage, Elton John, Prince, and current, Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift. It’s usually the construction of the music and melodies that make these songs popular. We as artists, irrespective of genre, would be stupid to not pay attention. We just have to pay attention to the right stuff. And plus, genres are so blurred these days! In 2020, pop music is just anything that is trending! It could be a 7-minute classical banger tomorrow!

Still on pop music, it is fair to say women who perform pop music have traditionally not been afforded the same respect as men or treated as seriously.  What are your thoughts on gender equality in the music industry, especially in light of all that has happened with the #metoo movement over the last couple of years?
My thoughts on this topic are too extensive to summarise. I’d love to get on a panel or do a TED talk about this one day. In short, things are slowly changing. Women are demanding respect and using their voices to assert themselves in all spheres. Women only comprise 16% of the music industry from a business perspective. I’m eager to see this number change and I have no doubt that it will if women continue to be brave and demand equal opportunities within artistic and business environments. To be a woman is to be a warrior! Women to the front in 2020!

You are known for a number of other artistic endeavours including fashion, are you working on anything else creative at the moment?
Yes! I can’t wait to unveil these fashion projects that I have worked on in particular. Standby!

What else is on the cards for Bel musically in 2020?
Keep a look out and you will see! It’s going to be a fun year.

‘Better Than Me’ is out now. You can download on iTunes or stream on Spotify or Apple Music.

To keep up with all things Bel you can follow her on Instagram and Facebook