Get to know Bela Chase. Today the Newcastle-based songstress drops her brand spanking new EP ‘Velocity Raptor’, which is filled with “lush electro vibes”. Not only that, she’s got gigs incoming and she’d perhaps one day like to fly a plane; Kanye West’s plane.
01. Name : Bela Chase.
02. Where are you based? Newcastle.
03. How did you get your start in music? I recorded my first acoustic demo when I was 16 at Newcastle Tafe, with Grant Warmsley from the Screaming Jets.
04. Give us five words to best describe you as an artist. Stubborn, perfectionist, unpredictable, sad, happy.
05. Tell us a little bit about your sound and how it developed. My sound has gone through many different phases; I started as a folk artist, none of my music had timing and it was a very free, melodic wall of sound. I then realised I wanted that kind of feeling but with more of an electronic vibe. Turns out, it was difficult to infuse these two stylings. In London I had more of a rock-like back beat and it was a very big sound. But in my latest EP I’ve pulled back and tried to focus more on creating layers of synths and more softer vocals. It’s much more electronic, but at the same time kind of embodies that earlier folk influence. I think the sound I have at the moment is a good explanation of my life as it is currently. I am in a very raw honest state of mind and I wanted the music to reflect this.
06. Who have been your musical influences? Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver, M83, PJ Harvey, Beach House and Best Coast. Simon And Garfunkle.
07. What are your favourite songs of all time? Simon and Garfunkle – ‘Sound Of Silence’, Sufjan Stevens – ‘Fourth Of July’, Bon Iver – ‘Flume’, The War On Drugs – ‘Red Eyes’, Youth Lagoon – ‘Posters’, PJ Harvey – ‘You Said Something’, Sparklehorse – ‘Eye Pennies’, Beastie Boys – ‘Intergalactic’, Nirvana – ‘All Apologies’.
08. What was the first album you bought? Ha! You know what? I think it was Matchbox Twenty’s ‘Yourself Or Someone Like You’.
09. Give us a little fun fact about yourself that people might not know. When I was 19 I racked up $600 worth of parking fines, so my mum sold my car… so I moved to London and here we are.
10. What would your chosen career be if music wasn’t an option? Ummmm… I wish I knew how to fly a plane… I wanna say pilot, but I wouldn’t want the responsibility of looking after all the passengers and crew. Maybe if I was the captain of like, Kanye West’s plane and every flight was a party and we never had to leave the tarmac. I’d want to be that kind of pilot.
11. What’s the best advice you’ve been given in your career? Don’t let your idea of success be reflected by society’s and don’t hold the mic up close to the amp!!!
12. Tell us about your latest release. ‘Velocity Raptor’ EP stemmed from a massive life change not just personally but musically. I locked myself away in a country house in South Germany near France and really just explored and produced a new phase of music. I tried not to be influenced by the pressures of success and the end result was ‘Velocity Raptor’.
13. What do your future plans involve? To continue to write and release music, play gigs and endeavour to always look for new sounds. I’m conscious of the fact that I want to allow myself to change as a musician and see what I come up with.
14. Where can our audience catch you live? I will be playing in Sydney on October 20 at ‘Since I Left You’, which is a cool little cocktail bar on Kent Street. Then on the November 04, I will be playing at the Oxford Art Factory Gallery bar, or you can just send me a message and tell me to meet you somewhere!
FACEBOOK : www.facebook.com/belachasemusic
TWITTER : https://twitter.com/Belachasemusic
INSTAGRAM : https://www.instagram.com/belachasemusic
SOUNDCLOUD : https://soundcloud.com/belachase
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