Bellah (singer)
Bellah | |
|---|---|
| Born | Isobel Akpobire Enfield, North London |
| Genres | R&B |
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Website | www |
Isobel Akpobire, known professionally as Bellah, is a British-Nigerian singer, songwriter, and actress. She has been featured in numerous publications for contributing to the British R&B revival.
Early life and career beginnings
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]
Akpobire began participating in musical theatre at four years old and recorded her first studio cover, "Be Without You" by Mary J. Blige, at age 10.[3][4] After attending a Beyoncé concert seven years later, Akpobire released she wanted to pursue music professionally and wrote her first song at age 17.[1][3][4] She performed Beyoncé's "Flawless" at a school talent show and received an invitation to perform at a local festival, where she found a management team.[2]
Career
After five years of artist development, Akpobire released her debut EP, Last Train Home, in 2019.[2] The debut single, "Never Loved", was named Track of the Week by BBC Radio 1Xtra.[3] This was followed by the release of her EPs In the Meantime and The Art of Conversation in 2020, the second of which was released by London-based independent record label Marathon Artists.[5]
In 2021, Akpobire performed her single "Evil Eye" on the ColorsxStudios platform, garnering more than one million views.[1][2] According to Akpobire, the video of her performance "opened so many doors for me, so many opportunities. I got into the rooms of so many amazing creatives after that."[2] That same year, she was a supporting act for Tems's headline tour.[6]
In 2022, Akpobire performed on the main stage at several large venues, including Wireless Festival,[7] Strawberries and Creem,[8] and Love Saves The Day. In that same year she released her third EP Adultsville, which was executive produced by Grammy Award winner Ari PenSmith. To promote the EP, Akpobire announced her first headline tour,[6] for which the pre-sale tickets sold out within minutes.[4]
Akpobire was nominated for Best R&B/Soul Act at the MOBO Awards in 2021[1][6] and 2023[9] and for Best New International Act at the BET Awards in 2024.[10]
In June 2024, Akpobire starred as the character Kyazike Mayagenda in the British television series Queenie,[11] which aired on Channel 4 and Hulu.[12]
Personal life
Akpobire has sickle cell disease and used her single Cause U Can to help raise awareness of the disease.[2][13][3]
Discography
EPs
| 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 |
Singles as Artist
| 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 |
References
- ^ a b c d Chaudhry, Aliya (24 July 2023). "Bellah is bringing British R&B to the global stage: "There's going to be an invasion!"". NME. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Ihejirika, Uzoma (26 October 2022). "For The Girls: Bellah Finds Strength In Vulnerability On New Album, 'Adultsville'". The NATIVE. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d Chevonne, Chloe (26 October 2020). "Bellah... "Black girl making music I think is cool"". The Blues Project. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "Bellah: Born To Sing". GAFFER. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ^ "Bellah". COLORSxSTUDIOS. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
- ^ a b c Babaran, Gisselle (19 November 2022). "Soho Rising: Introducing Bellah, the new princess of R&B". www.sohohouse.com. Retrieved 16 December 2025.
- ^ A, Simi (July 12, 2022). "Wireless 2022: 10 Best Moments, the women take the day & the UK shows out for R&B". The Blues Project. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ^ Rogerson, Jadene (June 13, 2022). "5 Acts to See at Strawberries & Creem - 9bills Blog". 9bills. Archived from the original on July 3, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
- ^ "MOBO AWARDS ANNOUNCE NOMINATIONS FOR 26TH EDITION IN SHEFFIELD | MOBO Organisation". mobo.com. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
- ^ Grein, Paul (16 May 2024). "Drake Leads Nominations for 2024 BET Awards: Full List". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ^ "Bellah | Actor". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
- ^ Queenie (TV Series 2024– ) - Release info - IMDb. Retrieved 5 June 2024 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ Wynter, Courtney (2020-11-20). "Bellah Delivers Visuals For Smooth Single "Cause U Can" From Her Brand-New EP 'The Art Of Conversation'". GRM Daily. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
External links
- Bellah at AllMusic
- Bellah at MusicBrainz