Isobel Eferuwho Winset Abisola Yetunde 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.
Bellah | |
|---|---|
| Born | Isobel Eferuwho Winset Abisola Yetunde Akpobire[1] Enfield, North London |
| Genres | R&B |
| Years active | 2019–present |
| Website | www |
Early life and career beginnings
editAkpobire 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.[2][3]
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.[4][5] After attending a Beyoncé concert seven years later, Akpobire released she wanted to pursue music professionally and wrote her first song at age 17.[2][4][5] 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.[3]
Career
edit2019-2023
editAfter five years of artist development, Akpobire released her debut EP, Last Train Home, in 2019.[3] The debut single, "Never Loved", was named Track of the Week by BBC Radio 1Xtra.[4] 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.[6]
In 2021, Akpobire performed her single "Evil Eye" on the ColorsxStudios platform, garnering more than one million views.[2][3] 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."[3] That same year, she was a supporting act for Tems's headline tour.[7]
In 2022, Akpobire performed on the main stage at several large venues, including Wireless Festival,[8] Strawberries and Creem,[9] 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,[7] for which the pre-sale tickets sold out within minutes.[5]
Akpobire was nominated for Best R&B/Soul Act at the MOBO Awards in 2021[2][7] and 2023.[10]
2024-present
editIn 2024, she was nominated for Best New International Act at the BET Awards.[11]
In June 2024, Akpobire starred as the character Kyazike Mayagenda in the British television series Queenie,[12] which aired on Channel 4 and Hulu.[13]
On 27 March 2026, she released the eight-track EP, State of Emergency Vol. 1.[14][15]
Personal life
editAkpobire has sickle cell disease and used her single Cause U Can to help raise awareness of the disease.[3][16][4]
Discography
editEPs
edit| Title | Year | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Last Train Home | Release date: 13 September 2019 | Label: AWAL |
| In the Meantime | Release date: 26 June 2020 | Label:AWAL |
| The Art of Conversation | Release date: 20 November 2020 | Label: Marathon Artists |
| Adultsville | Release date: 23 September 2022 | Label: Marathon Artists |
| State of Emergency Vol. 1 | Release date: 27 March 2026 | Label: Sonitus Recordings |
Singles as Artist
edit| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Never Love" | 2019 | Last Train Home |
| "Peanut Butter Hazel" | ||
| "Drip" | ||
| "Something U Like" | 2020 | The Art of Conversation |
| "If I Were U" | ||
| "Missed Call" | Non-album singles | |
| "Evil Eye - A Colors Show" | 2021 | |
| "Evil Eye" | Adultsville | |
| "Prototype" | 2022 | |
| "In the Moment" | ||
| "Garden" | ||
| "Options" (with Kamille & Tamera) |
2023 | Non-album singles |
| "Adultsville (Live)" | ||
| "As You Are - A Colors Show" | ||
| "Something to Prove" | ||
| "Need a Break" | 2024 | |
| "Motion Sickness" | ||
| "Boothang Bootcamp" | 2025 | State of Emergency Vol. 2 |
| "Smoov" | ||
| "Typical" (with Destin Conrad) | ||
References
edit- ↑ "AS YOU ARE". ascap.com. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 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.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Ihejirika, Uzoma (26 October 2022). "For The Girls: Bellah Finds Strength In Vulnerability On New Album, 'Adultsville'". The NATIVE. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 Chevonne, Chloe (26 October 2020). "Bellah... "Black girl making music I think is cool"". The Blues Project. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- 1 2 3 "Bellah: Born To Sing". GAFFER. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
- ↑ "Bellah". COLORSxSTUDIOS. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
- 1 2 3 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.
- ↑ Murray, Robin (16 March 2026). "Bellah Announces New EP 'State Of Emergency'". Clash. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
- ↑ "Bellah Wants You To Feel Your Feelings". Clash. 27 March 2026. Retrieved 30 March 2026.
- ↑ 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
edit- Bellah at AllMusic
- Bellah at MusicBrainz