Emerging from Scotland’s Highlands, Bethany Nelson’s music vividly narrates her personal experiences and complex “situationships,” inviting listeners to immerse themselves in the raw emotions of her tragic dating life. With an imminent stream of forthcoming releases, she’s an artist you’d want to check out before anyone else does. Of course we were really grateful when Bethany spent sometime for us.
Get into the mood for Bella
You have ten words to describe your act, no more no less…
Exciting, Dynamic, Raw, Storytelling, Relatable, Immersive, Fresh, Heartfelt, Intriguing, Entertaining
As an act how has 2023 treated you so far?
2023 has been great! I’ve just released a new song and I may or may not be releasing another one rather soon…
You have three original songs to wow the Belladrum audience, which ones would they be and why?
I reckon the first song that I would choose from my set list to wow the audience would be a song that I released in June called ‘Casual?’. I feel that musically, this song really encapsulates that summer, uplifting vibe yet the lyrics add a layer of complexity and create a juxtaposition that you will only realise if you listen carefully.
The second song that I would choose would have to be ‘Childhood Bed’. This song is yet to be released, but it’s definitely one of my favourite songs I’ve written. This song allows me to be vulnerable with lyrics like, ‘it’s funny how I look at a war so fondly’ and ‘driving through rubble in your passenger seat’. Along with the lyrics, the journey the music takes throughout the song allows the audience to become fully immersed in what they’re listening to.
And if I can only choose one more, I’d have to pick the last song of my set, ‘Jeopardise’. It’s so upbeat and fun to perform that I will guarantee you cannot have a bad time listening to it. The song is full of giddy and teasing lyrics such as, ‘I’m sick of playing it cool, you do it so well, you make it so hard to tell’ and ‘I like to jeopardise my dignity when my mind is intoxicated’. There’s a reason I put this song last and that’s because I want you to leave my set excited and in high spirits and there’s no way that this song won’t make you feel that!
Festivals are renowned for horrible clashes, which act on the Belladrum line-up would you least like to clash with and why?
There’s a few artists that I would hate to miss this year but if I had to choose one, I’d have to say Olivia Dean. Her music is just so good. I’d be really gutted to miss her performance.
What are your tips for coping with festival season?
Well I must say that I cheat. My mum will take me home for a shower and some breakfast every morning then drop me off again in the early afternoon. I’m not sure I could cope otherwise. But big up to the people who can hack it. I’d assume you’d just need A LOT of baby wipes and a willpower stronger than most!
What are your favourite memories of Belladrum?
I think my favourite memory of Belladrum was being really drunk at the ABBA tribute band. Literal euphoria, they’re just so entertaining.
Given the cartoon and comic theme of Belladrum 2023, which theme tune or song from animation would you cover given the opportunity, and how would you make it your own?
My knowledge of cartoons is limited and knowledge of comics is non existent. But I did binge ‘Big Mouth’ last year and I’d love to give that theme tune a bash with a big brass section. You never know, maybe it’s already in my set.
Which cartoon or animation would you have appear on stage with you and why?
Again, given my limited cartoon knowledge I’m gonna stick with my beloved ‘Big Mouth’ and say I’d gladly have Connie the hormone monster up with me. I reckon we could belt out some good songs together.
What’s on the horizon for you after Belladrum?
After Belladrum I’m going to be releasing a lot more music and hopefully I’ll be doing some pretty cool gigs!
You can see Bethany at The Seedling Stage, Belladrum on Friday, 28th July at 15:30 and online at Instagram and Facebook.
