Bellah Mae Never Wasted a Heartbreak in Birmingham
Country-pop singer-songwriter Bellah Mae embodied her long-awaited, forthcoming EP Never Waste a Heartbreak when she performed her flawless post breakup-inspired discography at Birmingham’s O2 Institute on 19th May.
I first discovered Bellah, and her stunning vocals, by chance on Instagram reels and have considered myself a fan of her sound ever since. As a listener of country music myself, I was addicted to her unique voice and creative musical direction almost immediately and, with country music becoming increasingly popular in today’s market, no wonder Bellah has amassed an ever-increasing fanbase online. It’s incredible how much power social media has at bringing talented artists and musicians like her to the forefront of people’s attention because an online community can ultimately play a huge part in helping a musician’s career take off, like it has done with this Hannah Montana-inspired artist.
At just seventeen years old, after releasing a song independently, the song in question fatefully landed in the hands of the one and only Dolly Parton’s manager. Shortly after, Bellah was invited to take part in ‘Song Suffragettes’, a spotlight for upcoming female country artists which firstly took part in the UK before she was flown out to Nashville, AKA the renowned home of country music, for an unmissable opportunity to become enriched in the city’s musical history.
It was my first time seeing a concert at this venue and what an extraordinary artist I chose to initiate my experience of the concert hall, especially since it was her hometown show and was therefore, an extra special evening for everyone present. Bellah took to the stage around 9pm and, prior to her arrival, six tall lamps were set up at the back of the stage, along with fairy lights scattered on the floor, creating a cosy aesthetic on the stage to match the blissful honey tones of Bellah’s captivating voice. Considering it was a smaller room, the stage lighting was exceptionally fluent throughout the set which enabled the artist to always be in view to her dedicated fans, in every corner of the packed out room.
After performing a few tracks, Bellah sweetly noticed it was some of her fans’ birthdays, and two people called Ciarra and Holly were mentioned specifically so the crowd wholesomely sang them a “Happy Birthday” in collective chorus. Often coming off the stage and standing on the steps of the front barriers, the singer showed the beauty of an intimate gig by performing close to some fans at the front.
Halfway into the hour long set, accompanied by a trusty acoustic guitar, she sat on a stool in the centre on the stage and played a number of slower-paced songs, as well as a gorgeous cover of one of her favourite country songs, “Something In The Orange”, with the help of supporting act Dominic Wright in a truly unforgettable performance.
Towards the latter part of her set, Bellah humorously informed the crowd about her ‘Hot Ex Girlfriend’s Club’, made up of her most loyal fans, as she made the crowd applaud as loud as they possibly could before throwing free merchandise for the audience to catch. After the show ended, fans who weren’t fortunate enough to have caught the free merch Bellah tossed into the crowd, lined up at the merch stand before their beloved president of the HEG Club joined them shortly after, making their evening that bit more memorable.
Bellah Mae is an artist to watch, without a doubt, as her breathtaking vocals and sensational songwriting skills speak for themselves when you hear her catchy melodies. Some of my personal favourite songs I recommend checking out are the newly released, highly-addictive single “Hell & Never Back” as well as the unmissable songs “On Purpose” and “2053”.
On 7th June, the British star’s second EP, Never Waste A Heartbreak, is finally dropping, of which three songs are wonderfully already out in the world and available to stream to your heart’s content! I look forward to watching Bellah’s career skyrocket in the near future and wish her the absolute best with future music releases and tours, of which I hope to be in the audience for again.
