Hello Bella

Hello Bella was one of those bands in Star Search that impressed you, but with only a couple songs up, they left you wanting more. Until this week, that is!

From yesterday, Hello Bella emerged from the sidelines and took down competitor after competitor until they claimed the Top Spot in Star Search.

Within a day, they uploaded loads of songs, videos and images, and received a significant jump in votes.

Of course, this caught our eye and made us all smile.

Alanna caught up with Hello Bella to find out more about them:

Alanna: You have had a crazy jump in views and votes over the past 24 hours! How have you been promoting your page?

HB: We decided to go full throttle basically on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and on our own blog. We're lucky to have amazing fans who really support what we are doing and they've all been voting everyday for us.

A: How did you all get together to form Hello Bella?

HB: Nic and Steph had known each other from a previous project and decided to take a different direction with it. Mitch was picked up for his good looks, and Bubba because he can eat a sandwich like no other. Matt was the latest and most recent addition to the band...he looked lonely so we asked him to join on as our lead guitar player. And the rest is history!

A: What inspires your music?

Steph: I believe our different backgrounds very much play into our unique sound, giving it that kind of Anthemic Pop/Rock feel. I come from a country/pop singing background and some other the other influences in the band if you can believe it stem from electronic, punk and even jazz backgrounds! All of those in collaboration seem to fuse together the music that we make!

A: What song of yours is your absolute favourite?

Steph: I’m such a sucker for a ballad so I would say Lost or Earthquake

Matt: My favorite Hello Bella song would definitely be "Indigo". The song starts with a bouncy, Latin inspired melody and beat that compels you to shake "what your mother gave you", and builds into righteous rock and roll chorus.

A: If you could perform anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Matt: I've always wanted to headline some of the more iconic small stages around this great nation of ours. It wouldn't get much bigger for me than selling out Ottawa's Zaphod Beeblebrox on a Friday or Saturday night. Any establishment that offers a real(ish) Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster is pretty much tops in my book.

A: What is one thing that your fans probably don't know about you?

Mitch: Despite the obvious that I sing in the shower and sleep nude the most honest answer is my lack of musical theory. The foundation of my ability as a bass player is strictly based by ear and by feel with a slight knowledge of theory.

Steph: I’m a chronic sleepwalker.

A: If you had to listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Bubba: Off the top of my head it would be between; "The CN tower belongs to the dead" by Final Fantasy, "Dilaudid" by Mountain Goats and "Sometime around midnight" by The Airborne Toxic Event.

Steph: Brandi Carlile's song- Stories

Mitch: Is it even achievable to fathom the possibility of choosing one song for all eternity? I don’t think it can be doneid gravitate towards “mad world by Gary Jules” but Bobby McFerrin gets my vote with “don’t worry be happy” classic

A: Do you think competition is tough right now?

Nick: When it comes to something like the indDscover, as long as you are putting your material out there and promoting yourself you are winning.

A: If there's one band or artist who could be your direct competition in Star Search, who do you think that would be?

Bubba: I'm really impressed with the amount of talent in this competition! A few of the bands that caught my ear were She King, Melissa Cameron, and Undadogg. I could go on and on; The Little Lines, Hayley Stark

Nala and Ike and Marvin, man, they're all awesome!

A: Why did you join the competition?

Steph: We had heard about it through friends of ours who had entered and it really helped them out a lot. It's a great resource for musicians to gain exposure and get their name out there, show the world what they've got!

A: Anything you'd like to leave your fans with?

Nick: NEW CD JANUARY 25TH! Echoes of the Atmosphere

Mitch: We’ll be around for a while, so keep close, listen long and stay tuned. We are evolving as a band and we’ll continue writing until our minds stop and our fingers bleed but more importantly, at the end of the day this is what we truly love to do!

Steph: Thank You to all of the fans that voted and took time to listen and see what we are all about, it means the world to us!



To check out Hello Bella's profile page, click HERE.





- inDiscover

Petrolia Topic Staff

Hello Bella won round one of a battle of the bands for a chance to open for a headliner at the Rogers 2010 Bayfest concert festival in Sarnia.
At Sarnia's Industry Theatre on May 8, Hello Bella was one of three bands and now moves on to battle against the other two bands on May 28 in front of celebrity judges, at the Industry Theatre. The panel of judges will determine who wins the contest and the other bands are Wild Domestic and the Action Figures, both of Sarnia. The Battle to Bayfest contest starts at 9 p.m.
The contest was so fierce organizers rewrote the rules to give the three local bands a crack at playing this summer's music festival.

Three bands, instead of two as planned, move on to the final round of competition. Two groups were within two votes of each other for the final berth.

"We decided the response was so good and they had such amazing fan support that we'd let all three of them play and add more competition," said Lauren Beisser, Bayfest box office and special events co-ordinator.

"All three bands have very different sounds," Beisser said. "It's a wide variety of music. It's going to be a really good show. You can help support local bands and help get them onto the Bayfest stage.
"They're not necessarily guaranteed to perform at Bayfest," said Beisser, noting it's the headliners who have final say. Bayfest officials typically send each headliner a short-list of five bands selected from Sonicbids, an online booking agency, and they go from there. This year's "Battle to Bayfest" winner will make that list. "It's a way to get your foot in the door," said Beisser, noting Bayfest's Nick Stokley came up with the idea. - Petrolia Topic

Please see link for full article - Sarnia & Lambton This Week

Lambton County-London pop rock band Hello Bella is this week's guest.

Hello Bella plays a song tentatively titled Following a Sound. It is set to find a spot on the album the band is recording with producer Adam Miner in Sarnia. The album should arrive later this year.

Well before then, the five-piece outfit will have played Bayfest at Sarnia on Sunday, when the Black Eyed Peas headline. The outdoor music fest has country music superstars Keith Urban (Friday) and Alan Jackson (Saturday) as the other headliners on the second and final weekend of its 2010 edition.

"We are ecstatic and still a little in shock," Hello Bella lead singer and keyboardist Stephanie Poort, a BEP fan, told the Sarnia Observer of the Bayfest gig.

"It's an amazing opportunity to be chosen for an event like this, and the fact we get to open for one of my favourite bands puts the icing on the cake."

Poort, formerly of Wyoming, and three other band members -- Petrolia-tied drummer Rob Pearse, Sarnia-tied guitarist Matt Naylor and guitar/keyboardist Nic Malara, a Floridian who studied forensics at the University of Windsor -- are London-based. Bassist Mitch Fiddick drove in from Petrolia on Wednesday.

Formed in 2007, Hello Bella has played such gigs as the Ribfests in London and Sarnia, London's annual Kid's Expo and made its own "Small Town Tour" of Ontario.

The band is fond of offering fresh explanations for the origins of its name.

Last year, Poort told the Observer: "It basically came from the fact that our guitar player (Malara) is Italian" with Bella meaning "beautiful."

On Wednesday, Naylor had another version. "(Hello Bella) was the dying words of my grandfather."

The unem-bella-ished truth, as offered by Poort and Malara, may be that friends help choose Hello Bella from a list of possible names the band had compiled.

Hello Bella plays the London Ribfest on July 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Victoria Park.

Please see attached link for video
- London Free Press

Two local bands have won the chance of a lifetime: playing on the Rogers Bayfest stage.

Hello Bella and Action Figures will open for the Black Eyed Peas and Weezer, respectively.

"We are ecstatic and still a little in shock," said Stephanie Poort, a Wyoming native and lead singer of Hello Bella. "It's an amazing opportunity to be chosen for an event like this, and the fact we get to open for one of my favourite bands puts the icing on the cake."


The band -- which also includes bassist Mitch Fiddick and drummer Rob Pearse, both from Petrolia, lead guitarist Matt Naylor of Sarnia, and Guitar/keyboardist Nic Malara, a native of London, Ont. -- will perform Sunday, July 18, while Action Figures will take the stage on Saturday, July 10.

Both bands competed at last month's Battle to Bayfest and made it all the way to the finals, along with first place winners Wild Domestic, who, so far, have been confirmed to perform at Hiawatha for this summer's Labour Day Bash.

"I can't believe we're opening for Weezer," said Mark Tetreault, lead singer of Action Figures, and die-hard fan of the Los Angeles-based alternative rockers.

Tetreault said his bandmates -- Neal Evans, Kurtis Nelson, Sean Smit and Barry Mielkie -- are just as thrilled.

"If you ask anyone in town, Neal and I are the biggest Weezer fans of all time," he said.

"And Barry -- he was kind of scared to believe it at first, and now I think he feels relieved. Ultimately, I think he's going to lose his mind when he realizes he has to play in front of that many people."

With files from QMI Agency

tjeffrey@theobserver.ca

- Sarnia Observer

By Dylan Kristy, The Windsor Star July 15, 2010

On the same day Hello Bella found out they would open for The Black Eyed Peas at the Sarnia Bayfest this weekend, their home in London burned down claiming most of the band's equipment.

"It's been such a whirlwind. We found out (June 30) about the show and getting approved for it and five hours later our house burnt down," said vocalist and keyboardist Stephanie Poort.

"Unfortunately the worst of it hit our band room so a lot of our equipment was severely damaged so we've been trying to regroup and pick up the pieces, kind of get our stuff together the best we can."

The band formed in Windsor but moved to London last year to be more centralized for touring.

Poort said her equipment was covered by insurance but a lot of the other members' equipment was lost.

"We lost the drums and a lot of the esthetic stuff like guitar stands, microphone stands and tables," Poort said.

"We're definitely on a different level now in taking it to the next step and we have to make sure we get insurance so we don't go through this once again."

The fire that could have been potentially disastrous wasn't because of family and friends in their hometowns of Wyoming and Petrolia.

"On (July 7) there was a fundraiser held back in our hometown where someone put a fundraiser together and they raised $3,000 for us to replace equipment which is incredible to get this kind of support," Poort said.

"After seeing the community come together with all of our family and friends and stuff to raise the money it makes you feel like we're making an impact and it just reflects our hard work."

Hello Bella is currently recording their first full-length album in Sarnia with producer Adam Miner.

Poort said the band is aiming for a release date this fall and fans can expect a new "edgier" sound.

"We have definitely evolved and we're very proud of our EP but it was very much on the poppy side and I think since then we've developed more of an edgier style and with the synth in there it's really developing it's own," Poort said.

For more information on Hello Bella visit www.myspace.com/hellobellamusic. For information on the the Sarnia Bayfest or Hello Bella's performance on Sunday visit www.sarniabayfest.com.

© Copyright (c) The Windsor Star

Read more: http://www.windsorstar.com/Flames+keep+Hello+Bella+from+limelight/3279794/story.html#ixzz0vkXAGl9U
- Windsor Star

By The Windsor StarAugust 10, 2008
StoryPhotos ( 1 )

This is very cute stuff. Shamelessly cute.

Each of the six tracks on this Windsor pop-rock quartet’s debut CD takes full advantage of frontwoman Stephanie Poort’s sweet, sweet voice.

She’s so honey-coated that by the time you hear her angelic oh-oh-oh’s on the fourth track, Celebrity, you’ll start worrying about cavities. Even when she sings “kiss my ass,” it’s like cotton candy.

But she isn’t just pretty-sounding. The songwriting is catchy to a fault, accompanied by radio-ready production values. Imagine if Avril Lavigne threw a slumber party with Pink’s backup band. Still, it all comes back to Poort’s wonderfully sugary pipes. On the ode to sensuality Rhythm Rhythm, she’s utterly harmless -- and utterly charming.

Call me a sucker. I think she’s awesome. Heck, I wish she was higher in the mix. The final track, a pensive ballad titled Underneath, gives her plenty room to stretch.

Online: www.hellobella.net

Rating: 4/5
-Dalson Chen
- Windsor Star

Posted By TARA HAGAN, THE OBSERVER
August 2008


A new band with local roots has been selected to compete in an international music competition.

Hello Bella, whose members hail from Petrolia, Wyoming and Windsor will head to Toronto to play Canada Music Indie Week on Thursday at the downtown Rock Boutique.

"We're really happy about it," said lead singer Stephanie Poort, who hails from Petrolia. "We just want to do the best we can."


The group, which has played a number of shows in Sarnia -- including Ribfest -- formed last fall.

Members include Nic Malara from Florida (guitar), Scott McGuiness from Windsor (drums) and Petrolia's Mitch Fiddick.

As members of Sonicbids, an online promotion website, the group applied to play in the festival a few months ago.

"They chose 80 bands from about 350," said Poort, noting that groups will be travelling from across the globe for the event.

The first place prize is an opportunity to move on to perform at Indie Week in Ireland next year.

"It's going to be quite interesting," said Poort. "This is the first time we'll really be working hands-on with the music industry."

The main goal, said Poort, is just to get their name out there.

"It's a really good network opportunity for us," she said.

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Last spring, the group was awarded a Canadian FACTOR grant (The Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Records) which they put toward recording a six-song EP, with the help of local music producer Adam Miner.

"That Girl" was released in July, and shows off their pop-rock sound, Poort said.

"It's a dancy, feel good pop," she said. "It's music that kind of caters to everybody."

For more information on

Hello Bella, visit www.hellobella.net.

Article ID# 1237875 - Sarnia Observer

Posted By PAUL MORDEN, THE OBSERVER
August 2009


Hello Bella will be back in Sarnia on Aug. 22 to perform on stage at Adrenaline, Canada's Racing Festival.

The four-day festival at Hiawatha Horse park, Aug. 20 to 23, will feature food, music and competitions aimed at helping boost interest in harness racing.

Stephanie Poort, a Wyoming native and Hello Bella's lead singer, said the band is looking forward to the show.


The band also includes Mitch Fiddick and Rob Pearce of Petrolia, and Nic Malara of Florida.

It have been busy this summer playing shows and festivals around the region, including a series of events in London's downtown park.

"The (London) Ribfest is coming up in August," she said. "We're really excited about that."

Poort said the band recently won a monthly band competition at The Skinny Lounge in Sarnia, earning it studio time with local producer Adam Miner.

"Which worked out perfectly for us," Poort said, "because he's our producer already."

Miner worked with Hello Bella on its EP "That Girl" which has attracted radio play in the region.

The battle of the bands prize also includes radio airplay for the new song the band is recording with Miner, Poort said.

"It was perfect timing for us."

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The band had a busy Canada Day, playing a festival show in Waterloo and then rushing to do an evening show in Petrolia.

"It turned out to be just crazy," Poort said. "It was the whole town there and we sold out of merchandise, T-shirts and CDs . . . it was a really great night."

After the summer, the band is planning to spend time in the studio to produce its first full-length compact disc.

Hello Bella is one of several bands set to play at Adrenaline.

It opens Aug. 20 with Xtreme harness racing, a Play The Ponies Challenge, live entertainment, dancing on the track and a presentation by author Wendy Moore-MacQueen.

The bands Funk-Eh! and VanScott will perform that evening.

The "Ultimate Band Challenge" is scheduled for Aug. 21.

Information on Adrenaline is available at www.adrenalinefest.ca.

- Sarnia Observer

Size doesn't matter to pop rock group Hello Bella.

That's why the band's new tour focuses on venues in small towns.

The group will perform Saturday at the Elephant's Nest as part of their Small Town Tour . . . Size Doesn't Matter.

Singer Stephanie Poort, who was raised in Wyoming, said most of the band members are from small towns in the region.


They wanted to tour small towns as a way to share their music with people who might not be exposed to them otherwise.

"All of us have an appreciation for small towns," she said from her home in Windsor.

Poort, 25, said the tour was also an opportunity to showcase local bands.

Linz will open for Hello Bella at Saturday's free show, which starts at 10 p. m.

During the tour, they will also perform in Wallaceburg at Roxxy's on March 20 and shows are scheduled in Strathroy, Stratford and Port Credit
- Chatham Daily News

March 31, 2010

Local band Hello Bella is performing Thursday in Chatham trying to earn a spot on Much Music's "Disband."

"It's quite the opportunity for us," said singer Stephanie Poort.

She's hoping Hello Bella's fans will make the trip to Encore Bar and Night Spot in Chatham, to support the band as it performs in front of judges from the TV show.


The show starts at 7 p.m. - Sarnia Observer