Belle Jewel

This evening was proof of the power of the voice. While I was perusing Pioneer Park before the Aug. 17 Twilight Concert and taking pictures of vendors, patrons, artists and the like, I witnessed an amazing event. At first, there was some stirring from the speaker cones onstage and a few feedback peaks, but as soon as Belle Jewel started singing, it was as if a hypnotic tide had started receding. This “tide” was calling people to the front of the platform to listen to an unknown yet somehow comfortingly familiar voice in the same fashion that the ocean calls the sand and shells from the shore to join in its party beneath the waves. People started materializing and filing up the spaces near the stage. Accompanied by local musician Joshy Soul, it is possible that Belle Jewel filled as great if not greater shoes than the acts that followed her and set the bar for what was to be an absolutely wonderful evening. - Slug Magazine

When American Fork singer Belle Jewel was pitted against Christian Cuevas in a “Knockout” round of NBC’s “The Voice” Tuesday night, the title of Jewel’s chosen song seemed to spell a prophetic warning: “Don’t Dream It’s Over.”

After effusively praising Jewel (“I love your voice, it was given to you the day you were born. … I think you are so dope”), team leader Alicia Keys ultimately chose Cuevas as the winner over Jewel to be the one to go on to the live shows which welcome audience voting.

After Jewel and Cuevas hugged, Jewel had only one more shot at potentially moving forward. “Coaches, let me remind you, Belle is available to steal,” host Carson Daly said.

And immediately -- in less than a second -- Miley Cyrus pressed the button, and everybody, including Keys, applauded.

“That may have been the fastest steal in Knockout history,” Daly said as Cyrus ran up to embrace Jewel. - The Daily Herald

Though her music is often classified as alternative or indie pop, Belle Jewel isn’t content to stay solidly within one genre — or within one era, for that matter. Spanning a wide range of styles, Belle’s sound is nearly impossible to categorize. She credits modern indie bands like Christine and the Queens, Banks, Tame Impala, and Grimes as strong influences, but her own style features a wide variety of musical styles. “Velvet” is intimate and haunting while “Salt” takes advantage of Belle’s velvety, slightly warbly voice to resemble singers of the 40s and 50s, like Judy Garland and Debbie Reynolds. And then there are songs like Nostrand Ave: Delightfully fuzzy, danceable pop song.
Given her wide range, it makes sense that Belle started her music career by covering songs on YouTube by musicians of all styles, from The Cranberries to Edith Piaf to Gnarls Barkley. Then, in 2016, she got the chance to perform in front of millions when she landed a spot on The Voice. She was just eighteen at the time, and it was a life-changing experience.
“During The Voice, I was faced with multiple experiences that forced me to really stand my ground as an artist in my morals and style,” Belle says. “My eyes were opened to just how important it is that I 100% believe in my music and trust the creative process.”
Now, two years later she’s released her debut album, “End of an Era.” A bit of an ironic title considering this is obviously just the beginning for Belle. Belle’s unflinching authenticity is refreshing. While her YouTube channel consists of mostly covers, the new album is all original work. For her first record, Belle decided to create something introspective and honest.
“I realized a couple years ago that I wasn’t being as open and real with my music as I wanted to be because I had been hiding behind covers of other songs and acoustic arrangements. While I learned a lot from this phase of musicianship, I am so glad that I took the plunge and started to truly express myself and trust my artistic development. The whole process is so much more rewarding now that I’m saying what I really want to say with my music.”
Belle credits her mother for first showing her the power of self-expression. “My mom played a huge part in introducing me to artists and musicians that influenced my music and clothing style. From a really young age, I watched her dress up and express herself through clothing, makeup, and hairstyles, and I was inspired by how much of a statement you can make with your physical appearance.”

In particular, she was drawn to the fashion of the late 90s. “I love how Björk and Grimes portray their music through their fashion, and how powerful colors and textures can be to communicate art. The late 90s also have a huge influence on my clothing style, because I love how abrasive yet feminine the fashion was. I feel like the clothing during that time period really embraced alternative beauty.”
But taking such a candid approach to writing an album wasn’t as easy. While Belle has always used fashion as a means of expressing herself, it’s only recently that she’s felt she had the courage to be so open in her music.
“The writing process took place across the span of a year, and was an incredibly personal and eye-opening process for me,” Belle says. “I haven’t been able to quite pin down what my writing or brainstorming process is, but some of my favorite songs that I’ve written came out of nowhere, all in one sitting. Once I think of an idea that really resonates with me, It feels like everything else just falls into place. The song ‘Push’ on my album wrote itself suddenly and quickly, scribbled out on the back of a receipt at 3 am, and it turned out to be one of my favorites.”
While she’s still figuring out some parts of her writing process, Belle says, she’s learned that practicing good self-care is crucial to tapping into that creative well.
“For me personally, I create the most material and feel the most connected to my music when I’m staying on top of a self-care routine,” Belle says. “It’s easy to get caught up in the writing process, the business side of music, and all the other things that come with being a full-time musician, but without a good self-care routine, it makes it almost impossible to improve.”
It’s a strategy that runs counter to the conventional wisdom that artistic inspiration is unpredictable. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of thinking artists are just born with an endless supply of creativity. Belle is wiser than that. She may be a young musician just beginning her career, but she’s already forging a unique path.
“I wanted to create something that allowed me to really open up on stage and express my artistry in a new way,” Belle says. “I mostly want people to be able to get to know me and see the world through my eyes. It’s a chance for me to reflect on the last couple years of my life and express how I feel like I’ve grown as a person. Looking back, the album is an exact representation of how I feel about myself, the people around me, and what I’ve gained from my life experiences.”
“End of an Era” is out now on Spotify and iTunes — For more about Belle Jewel, you can find her on Twitter and Instagram. - Universe

After the last season of The Voice ended, we received lots and lots of fan requests to feature Belle Jewel - an amazing young singer with retro sensibilities - in a Postmodern Jukebox video. Now, we're excited to present her PMJ debut: an uptempo '40s jazz remake of "Spiderwebs," one of No Doubt / Gwen Stefani's first hits. - Postmodern Jukebox