Known for her numerous talents including being a former beatbox world champion, Bellatrix‘s musicality continues to thrive with a heightened vibrancy on the latest striking release titled “Bad Love”
Wrapped in glossy electronica, the track’s electronic pulses and glitchy textures embellish the single to produce a single bursting at the seams with creativity. Continuing to narrate her experiences within an abusive relationship, lyrics like “how the fuck am I supposed to deal with this?” are hauntingly real; a declaration of Bellatrix’s emotions of being trapped and feeling unable to escape.
With her previous single “Golden” finding support in the likes of Record of the Day, Notion, PopMatters, Popjustice, 1883 Magazine, Fame Magazine, Clout and more, it’s clear that Bellatrix’s evocative songs are resonating with people. Also previously supported by Wonderland, Clash and Dummy, her musicality is flourishing into something very special.
Who is Bellatrix?
I’ve spent a lot of my musical career being a collaborating artist, involved in loads of different projects and often helping other people to realise their own creative visions. A few years ago, I was playing bass in a hip-hop band called Dizraeli and The Small Gods, and the singer had to pull out of a gig super last minute. There wasn’t time to get someone else in, so I covered her parts because I knew what they were. It was a bit of a mad move, because I wasn’t a singer at all and she’s incredible (check out Cate Ferris!).
Not long after, she actually left the band. Half of the band wanted me to step up and be the singer and the other half didn’t (ouch! Lol). Anyways, I went for it, and for about a year was playing bass and singing in this project. It was really fun and I learned a lot. I was already writing my own music, but that’s when I started really working on my singing and taking it more seriously.
What is the favorite song you wrote and why?
Before I started releasing my own music, I co-wrote about 10 songs with production duo Exmoor Emperor. (I work with them on my own music. I love them.) None of these saw the light of day, and maybe they never will. But I think there’s something special about them. I couldn’t really sing at that point, and my lyrics have an unrefined rawness about them. Although I think I’m a better songwriter now, I’m definitely interested in trying to re-discover a kind of playful freedom I had before I was actually trying to make good stuff. If you know what I mean!
Who are your main musical influences?
Oooofffff WELL.
Björk, Nina Simone, Charles Mingus, Prince, MIA, Kate Bush, Thom Yorke, SunRa. I really could go on forever but I’ll leave it there for now.
What are some things to do to keep your inspiration alive?
I do this thing called “Morning Pages”… every morning, before anything else, I spend about an hour filling three pages with stream of conscious style writing. I’ve been doing this for probably about 7 years god forbid anyone ever read my books! I find it such a useful practice that works like a bit of a compass for me. Stuff from my subconscious gets drawn up. My desires, my dreams, my secrets. Stuff that’s not okay for me gets exposed. I learn about my own boundaries. Sometimes I have amazing creative ideas. Sometimes I spend the whole time complaining about how much I need a break. It’s a proper mix! From there, I tend to know what I want and need from life and am able to work towards making it happen in some way. And it’s from life that I draw my inspiration.
Who are you binge listening to these days?
Moses Sumneyyyyyyy I dunno if it’s okay to have one record on repeat for this long. But I’m doing it.
Favorite movie?
The Matrix! Always The Matrix.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
Bad Love is the second single from my upcoming EP “I Was An Aphid”. The EP as a whole is a real time account of my experience in an abusive relationship. It feels hard and strange to say it so bluntly, as nothing is ever that black and white. But ultimately, it’s just the truth. I wrote the first tune, Golden, when I knew something wasn’t write but I wasn’t ready to be honest with myself. Bad Love came when I was able to be straight up with myself about the situation, but I couldn’t yet see the way out. I remember the time clearly and I’m grateful to all the people who told meet trust myself and trust that I would find my way. Which I did.
Do you have any peculiar pre or post show rituals?
TBH I think my whole life is a peculiar ritual. I make a lot of very strange noises, I think to ground myself and as a way to soothe my nervous system. When the pre-show adrenaline kicks in, I manage it by letting myself slip into a kind of trance state and find a quiet space where I can make all my weird noises and movements in private. It’s kind of like connecting back to being a wild animal, or some sort of creature. Humans are just creatures who sometimes think they’re different/above all the other creatures! Post show I like to dance, but I think that’s normal.
What’s the future looking like for you?
I’m excited about the future. I’m excited about the release of my EP “I Was An Aphid”, and I’ve got some “IRL” shows coming up this summer which I’m truly gagging for. I don’t think I’ve ever gagged for anything as much as I’m gagging to play an actual show with my band. It’s nuts how much I took it all for granted in the old life.
There’s also some stuff coming up for me that I can’t speak about yet. Sorry for being that guy. How annoying of me. I should probably just not say anything! But watch this space, basically!
Who inspires your style and aesthetics?
I’m gender fluid and I think the way I present can reflect that fluidity. When I was younger my style was always in flux, but I really wanted to be a certain kind of pretty that just was not in line with who I actually am (or how I naturally look). There was such a huge amount
of repression going on, and I was so uncomfortable in the mould I was trying to fit myself into. I’m inspired by people who present in a way that is unashamedly authentic, and choose to look like themselves rather than pander to dominant cultural beauty standard norms.
What is the achievement or moment in your career you are the most proud of and why?
As a teenager I was the first professional female beatboxer in the UK (I use the term female loosely, and my pronouns are they/them). I got a job beatboxing in an advert that went worldwide and I got paid £30k, which meant that I could put myself through Guildhall School of Music – one of the top music colleges in the world. I studied jazz double bass. As someone who doesn’t come from money, this was a really big deal to me because I changed my context at such a young age.
What do you think is the best way to make it as an artist nowadays?
It really depends on what you mean by “to make it”.
When I was 16 I told my dad my life ambition. It was this: “I would like to make a comfortable living from music and be respected by my peers”. I always keep that thought close in my mind because it reminds me that actually I made it a long time ago. And now, to me, “making it” means that I am doing projects that I enjoy. That I am experiencing a YES for everything I do (or as much as possible). I don’t really know the best way to get there but I think its important to make sure that you’re really great at your practice, whatever it is. If you’re really good, people will want to work with you. No shortcuts. Stop thinking of music as a commodity and bring it into the centre of your life.
What would you change in the music and entertainment industry especially after this past year? A lot of things. The music industry isn’t different from all the other institutions that need reform.
