R&B frontrunner Bellah has swiftly become one of the most exciting names with the UK space. Following last year’s excellent “Adultsville,” the singer-songwriter has consolidated her acclaim, receiving a MOBO nomination, and has reached new levels of popularity, which came to a head in a stunning COLORS show with Gaidaa, a standout episode from the esteemed performance series.

Bellah’s most recent creative foray comes in collaboration with Grammy-winning producer Boi-1da. The Drake and Beyoncé collaborator has teamed up with Bacardí, a brand who continue to aid grassroots music and champion emerging talent, for a new project, The A.I.-Produced Album, as part of their longstanding Music Liberates Music program. The endeavour is an annual occurrence that aims to support and shine a light on underrepresented voices in the music industry.

To find out more about the project and to catch up about the year, we connected with the superstar, who revealed all…

Listen to the album…

Read the interview…

Hi Bellah, thanks for chatting with us and congratulations on the new collaboration. Can you tell us a bit about how this project came about?
Hey! Thank you so much. This project came about through BACARDI’s annual
Music Liberates Music programme. This year the project offered four artists, plus myself, the opportunity to create a track with Boi-1da exploring A.I. in music creation – an offer I could never have turned down. Together, we created, The Concept A.I. Album that launched globally this month.

Is this the first time you experienced AI generated sounds?
Yes, this is my first experience with A.I.-generated sounds. Honestly, I was scared at first. When it came to it, I was excited to explore the possibilities and showcase what can be done, especially collaborating with someone as credible as Boi-1da with the backing of BACARDÍ.

What excites you most about the technology?
The thing that excited me the most about the program is the potential for artists to have access to resources that they wouldn’t usually have. BACARDÍ’s MLM program delving into the world of A.I. opens up so many new possibilities, from working with leading producers to improve the quality of a first demo. I’m interested to see where it takes us.

How do you see the music industry’s evolution towards AI generated productions?
Evolution is inevitable, and I think it’s a step that should be explored. It’s ultimately another tool for creatives to play around with. For music artists, A.I. can be used to bring our ideas to life and collaborate in ways we can only imagine that we never thought we could. That’s so important for artists that are always grinding in the studio or on stage performing – finding ways to maximise our time and efforts.

How was the creative process for this project? And your overall experience working with Boi-1da?
The creative process was dope! The team guided us through using the A.I tool. Boi-1da is super chilled and he knows what he is doing, so I felt really comfortable. I put the demo through the A.I tool myself and Boi 1da finished the record from there.

How did you balance the AI/human side of this creation? How will listeners be able to identify your musical essence in these tracks?
I wrote the song and the A.I tool then reworked the production, to which myself and 1da finished then completed the song together. Balancing the A.I. and human sides was about finding harmony. The A.I. tool provides a foundation, but my essence comes through in the emotions and storytelling in the record.

Once the record was finished we launched it with BACARDÍ and Rolling Stone UK hosting a listening party in London with a full band and show. We wanted to show another human side of the project. I think the crowd was surprised at how the new track just fell into the wider set. We also had another artist from the A.I. Album project, Savannah Ré, join us for the night as she was in Europe on tour.

Do you believe working with AI open doors to upcoming artists? Please elaborate.
Absolutely! Working with A.I. opens doors by providing new tools and methods for expression. It democratises music creation, giving upcoming artists more opportunities.

Where do you see yourself taking your artistry next?
I see myself exploring new sounds and pushing boundaries. This experience has inspired me to push myself and continue experimenting with different elements in my music.

How do you reflect on 2023 and what excites you most about the new year?
Reflecting on 2023, I’m grateful for the opportunities and growth. What excites me about the new year is that I have no clue about what is going to happen but I do know that there will be lots of music and lots of fun.

Any special projects or collaborations on the pipeline that you can already share with us?
Of course there are exciting things happening but I want it to be a surprise and if I tell you, they won’t be!