Music Industry News

‘Holding On’ is the third single from Wellington based Belladonna’s debut album Arcus Way it comes out on Friday the 21st of November, one week ahead of the full album.

After a devastating house fire that saw Bella’s flat and all of her belongings go up in flames, MusicHelps stepped in to help replace her musical equipment. This period saw a flurry of creative output for Bella who reached back to the acoustic guitar.

“My house burning down served as some kind of catalyst within me. It’s easy to over complicate creativity and after settling into my new house I was drawn to the simplicity of sitting with my guitar alone and writing. It gave me the room to rearrange the pieces of my life and put them back together. After losing all of my physical possessions I became very reflective about what it was that I wanted to hold onto. I think that creating songs and seeing ideas come to life felt like a reclamation of what I’d lost.”

‘Holding On’ takes the intimate, lo-fi sound of Arcus Way towards the realm of what you’d maybe call ‘Bedroom Country’. Producer Chris Armour’s lap steel licks and baritone guitar glue this ballad into what sounds like the saddest Nashville recording session.

Contrary to that, Bella looks back fondly on those recording sessions. “I really loved the recording process. I took the train to Chris’s, and then walked through a leafy suburb and by a river. Every day I was greeted by a pair of ducks. Me and Chris drank a lot of coffee and always started the day listening to some good music. Collaboration is such a powerful tool and I was really lucky to find that with Chris.”

That close collaboration forms the basis for the sound of the album, alongside a conscious desire to make a very Wellington based record. Arcus Way draws on a stable of local talent with backing vocals from Dianne Kreig (Dawn Diver, Ida Lune) Keys from Dayle Jellyman (Floating Head) and Drums from Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa (Dateline, French For Rabbits). It was fittingly recorded in various studios and bedrooms around Wellington and has been mixed and mastered by local legend Bevan Smith (The Beths, Glass Vaults, Signer).

Arcus Way will be released on Bandcamp and all major streaming platforms internationally on November 28th, one week after ‘Holding On’. We are so excited for the album to be heard in its entirety, especially after such a warm reception for the songs released so far.

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Bella Cook, best known under the moniker Belladonna, has already earned critical praise for her first two EPs and in 2020 landed a Top 20 spot in the APRA Silver Scrolls for her single ‘Hands’. As a child, Bella was drawn to creative pursuits, focused mostly on writing short
stories, photography, and performing for her unwitting family audience at any opportunity. Songwriting emerged unexpectedly when a primary school classmate shared an original song. Her curiosity led her to write her own, and though she hadn’t planned to pursue music seriously, she was captivated by its storytelling potential. By the end of high school, she had begun lugging a tape recorder around capturing snippets of melodies and frank observations on daily life.

Over the past couple of years, Bella has been hunkered down in various studios around Wellington with producer Chris Armour (Miles Caulder), building a debut album that expands her sonic world while staying grounded in story-driven lyricism. The process hasn’t been easy; juggling recording with full-time study and work, plus dealing with a house fire, a studio flood, and the heartbreak along the way. But the past few years have left Bella with a deep pool of inspiration to draw from. With this upcoming release we can expect to hear from a more somber, heartfelt side of Belladonna. Songs written mostly around an acoustic guitar and an endeavour to capture the intimacy of her home demos while staying true to the offbeat charm that’s made her one to watch

Photo credit: Frances Carter