Lucy Bell

 “I’d like to think there's little to no difference in myself and what I put across online. I always hope that my music is slightly different to what the listener would expect. Even if it's just through one note or one instrument.”

 

Up n’ Comin’ NI is thrilled to present this weeks artist, Lucy Bell. Lucy is from Downpatrick but moved to London just over a year ago. “I'm a musician, director and sound designer - safe to say I like the creative arts!”

 

Lucy has always loved listening to music and as a young kid she attempted to write a couple of her own songs. It wasn’t until she began playing the guitar that she properly began her songwriting journey. “Both elements were quite rough to begin with, but I like to think I've got the hang of it now. (I hope!) My eldest brother taught me my first couple chords and from then I kept playing, writing and performing. It wasn't something I thought could become such a significant part of my life, although I'm very glad it has.”

 

“My favourite artist changes on the regular!” A big inspiration for Lucy was Hudson Taylor who are unfortunately no longer a band. “Their live performances had such amazing energy. Their stage presence was and still is something I'd love to develop more into my sets.” Apart from Hudson Taylor, Lucy listens to and draws inspiration from Flyte, Maggie Rodgers and Clean Cut Kid.

 

Lucy alternates between playing solo and with a band set up. This is dependent on several factors including venue, size, set length etc. “When I play solo my music leans more towards a folk-pop influence but with the band I would say it's alternative-pop. I always prefer playing alongside the band as the songs sound more like what I intended when I wrote them but sometimes the intimate acoustic gigs have something special about them that you can't experience otherwise.”

 

“Try to remember everyone’s name and be kind.”

 

“I am a songwriter! Sometimes I'll immediately have some lyrics and a melody and it's a matter of finding the chords that work alongside but usually I start with the chords until a melody comes along. When it comes to the lyrics I usually have an idea on what I want to write about but I also have a collection of phrases or lines written down if I need a starting point.”

 

Lucy’s music used to fit into the acoustic folk genre more closely. Since then, she has been delving into a bigger sound, getting more adventurous with her writing. “I'm eager to see where it might go next.”

 

Like many musicians, Lucy likes to work alone, however, only to a certain point. “I think I become too precious or over analytical about my songs and I need someone else to help me detach slightly. This way I think the song gets to what it needs to be.”

 

Inspiration for song writing can come from anywhere. Lucy has adopted an interesting technique: “My favourite thing to do is take phrases that people have said in passing and slip them into a song, creating a whole narrative around it.” This gives her a huge range of different topics to discuss and interpret in her music. “Of course, I also take inspiration from my personal experiences but it's only recently that I've felt more comfortable sharing those with an audience.”

“If I'm not gigging then I'm planning a gig or writing or recording or something related to it all!”

 

“My most memorable gig was probably performing in the Blue Bird Cafe in Nashville. It was such a surreal environment and an incredibly polite and attentive audience. I felt like they could hear me breathing.”

 

Lucy has already had a successful musical journey, but says that her biggest achievement to date has been releasing her debut EP in August and having one of it's singles 'Fire and Smoke' played on Radio 1!” The start of a wonderful career to come!

 

So, What’s Next for Lucy Bell?

“Hopefully always playing and writing music. I'm working on some new songs at the moment.  I’m set to record some more songs this year and hopefully have them released shortly after. Other than that I am planning more gigs and bigger projects that I’m excited to be working on and see how they progress!"

Make sure you follow her and keep up to date with all her songs, events and gigs: 

Spotify: Lucy Bell

YouTube: Lucy Bell

BandCamp: Lucy Bell

Instagram: lucybellmusic

Website: www.lucybellmusic.co.uk