Hailing from the small town of Clovis, California, LA-based singer/songwriter BEL (Isabel Whelan) made quite an impression on music fans with her song “Are You Okay?” In 2023. The exposure enabled her to tour with the likes of Cold War Kids, Maya Folick, Boyish and The Rare Occasions amongst others. This year has seen her sign with notable indie label Nettwerk Records, perform at Bottlerock Napa Valley and is releasing new material leading up to her debut album, ‘Holy Grail’, slated to be released on October 7th.
Drawing inspiration from iconic artists like Stevie Nicks, Joni Mitchell, and Mazzy Star as well as Death Cab For Cutie, Vampire Weekend and early 2000s indie, BEL honed her sound while going to UCLA and gigging at various clubs. Her confident stage presence can be credited to Kelly Clarkson, as BEL noted, “my first time like singing in front of people, I think I was eight-years-old. I was in third grade and I did a talent show and it was Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway”, I was obsessed with Kelly Clarkson. BEL has released a handful of singles this year from ‘Holy Grail’, including the recently released “Party Tricks”.
BEL spoke with B-Sides host Pete Mar about her musical journey from singing in Catholic school in a small California town to finding her musical identity in Los Angeles. She talks growing up in a big family, musical journey, new music and more.
