Bellah | |
---|---|
Birth name | Isobel Akpobire |
Born | Enfield, North London |
Genres | R&B |
Years active | 2019–present |
Website | www |
Isobel Akpobire, known professionally as Bellah, is a British singer, songwriter, and actress.
Akpobire was born in Enfield, North London. She grew up as an only child to a single mother and lived with her uncles who influenced her musical tastes by playing 1990s R&B, such as Destiny's Child and SWV. [1] [2]
After participating in musical theatre from the age of four, she undertook her first studio session at age 10, recording a cover of Be Without You by Mary J. Blige. [1]
She found a management team after being spotted at a local festival that she performed at after having sung Beyoncé's Flawless at a school talent show. [2]
After five years of artist development, Akpobire released her debut EP called Last Train Home in 2019. [2] The debut single released from the EP was Never Loved and this was made Track of the Week by BBC Radio 1Xtra. [3]
This was followed by the release of In the Meantime and The Art of Conversation in 2020, the second of which was released by London-based independent record label Marathon Artists. [4]
Akpobire's music reached a wider audience in 2021 when she performed her single Evil Eye on the ColorsxStudios platform. [1]
In 2022, Akpobire made her debut performance at Wireless Festival. In the same year she released her third EP Adultsville, which was executive produced by Grammy Award winner Ari PenSmith. [5]
Akpobire was nominated for Best R&B/Soul Act at the MOBO Awards in 2023 and she was nominated for Best New International Act at the BET Awards in 2024. [6] [7]
In 2024, Akpobire starred as the character Kyazike Mayagenda in the British television series Queenie. [8] The show aired on Channel 4 and Hulu in June 2024. [9]
Akpobire suffers from sickle cell disease and used her single Cause U Can to help raise awareness of the disease. [2] [10] [3]
Title | Artist | Year | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Last Train Home | Bellah | 2019 | AWAL |
In the Meantime | Bellah | 2020 | AWAL |
The Art of Conversation | Bellah | 2020 | Marathon Artists |
Adultsville | Bellah | 2022 | Marathon Artists |
Title | Artist | Year | Label |
---|---|---|---|
Never Loved | Bellah | 2019 | AWAL |
Peanut Butter Hazel | Bellah | 2019 | AWAL |
Drip | Bellah | 2019 | AWAL |
Something U Like | Bellah | 2020 | Marathon Artists |
If I Were U | Bellah | 2020 | Marathon Artists |
Evil Eye - A COLORS SHOW | Bellah | 2021 | ColorsxStudios |
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