Recently I was fortunate enough to get back from a successful, solo, around the world trip. Although the months in the run up to this adventure were full of hard work, admin and very little sleep, it's safe to say that it all paid off and was more than worth it in the end. There are many reasons why this trip was so wonderful, however one of those reasons was the wealth of inspiration that I came across. There's nothing quite like being all alone in the big wide world to help you regain a sense of perspective on things.
It's oh so cliché to go off and "find yourself" on a "gap yah", however, I feel like it would be impossible to leave home for 5 months, explore the world on your own, and come back exactly the same person you were when you left. The number of sights seen, challenges overcome, people met etc. impacted me hugely, and from a musical point of view, it was impossible not to drag elements of all of these things into my new music.
Just before I went away, the little musical inspiration I had was mostly negative. Having just finished school, I was left working almost every hour God gave me in several low skill jobs in order to fund this trip. Although I was able to meet some great people and have some fun times, there were also frustrating managers, grumpy bosses, and a lot of very late nights followed by early mornings to deal with too. This, contrasted with then suddenly having the freedom to go and do what I pleased in foreign cities on faraway shores, was sure to make for some pretty momentous shifts in the tone of my music. Gone were the cold, dark evenings and 17hr working days, and instead I had the sparkling Indian Ocean to look out on, huge mountains to stand in awe of and the kind of people who restore ones faith in humanity by my side.
This meant that as time passed, and new faces and experiences came and went, I had a whole new heap of ideas starting to gather in my head, and there were very very few negative experiences to draw any inspiration from!
Throughout my trip I was constantly writing new things. There are hundreds of lyrics and potential song names jotted down on my phone and lots of recordings of new melodies; plus, I even managed to complete a couple of new songs whilst away and I enjoyed sharing both my older and new music with anyone who wanted to listen.
Whether it's the material being released this coming September on my debut EP 'The Edge of Beautiful' or things I've written subsequently, all my music is a celebration of nature, the world that we live in and the people who occupy it. My love of the outdoors and exploration comes across strongly within the lyrics and themes of all my songs, both old and new, and these themes can only gather strength with the inspiration taken from my trip. This, paired with the friendships I've forged with people from so many different places, cultures and backgrounds makes for some truly exciting new writing material. I can't wait to share what the future holds with you.
Bella x
