Josie Bello
Josie Bello's songs tell stories and convey feelings that are relatable. Previous albums "Have Purpose Live Long" (2020), "Can't Go Home" (2018) & "Resilience" (2022) have had extensive U.S. & International radio play with the albums and individual tracks appearing on an radio charts including the Roots Music Report (RMR) charts, the Folk Alliance International Charts, the EuroAmericana Chart and the Americana Albums Chart.
Josie Bello is...?
...a singer-songwriter from Long Island, NY where she lives with her husband Frank and their dog Spunky. Josie is first and foremost a songwriter, and secondarily a performer.
She appreciates good songwriting and lives in an area where there is a very active local music scene to take in live music. Her personal goal is to have a major artist record one of her songs. She loves spending time at home and is an avid cook and baker.
How did you get into music?
I think I was always somewhat musical. Since I was very little I would make up songs and sing them around the house. Rhyming and coming up with melodies came naturally to me, and I've always processed my world in a musical way. As a child, I loved listening to the radio with my mom, and singing along with every song. When I was around 7 years old I wanted to play an instrument, and my parents chose to send me for accordion lessons, which never really worked for me as someone who enjoyed contemporary popular music and loved to sing, but later on I started playing piano and that was a better fit for both developing melodies and accompanying myself.
Since meeting my husband, Frank Bello, I have been learning to play guitar. I love to use the guitar to write songs. Frank is a terrific bass and guitar player, and we often perform together with me on keys.
What was your inspiration for "They lie", what's the story behind the song?
I wanted to write a song that expressed my thoughts and feelings about all the lying and deception that seems to have become the norm among our politicians and cable news commentators. I am angry that the notion of "alternative facts" has become a reality and that as a society we have legitimized it.
How would you describe your creative process?
When an idea for a song occurs to me, usually in the form of a hook or musical theme, I usually pick up a guitar and start working with it. Sometimes the songs come out in one sitting and other times it takes months to finish song-- revisiting it while I work on other projects. I frequently work on two or three songs at the same time.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
There are a few songwriters that I admire and at the top of that list are Bruce Springsteen, Lucinda Williams and Mary Chapin Carpenter. My currrent choice for dream co-write is either Jackson Browne or Lori McKenna. Both of them write songs lyrics that have great depth and Jackson Browne especially has a sound that I can really identify with.
Being an Indie artist is ...?
...a great way to be an artist. I am free to create the music I want, without the restrictions or expectations I think exist when you are under contract.
There are no deadlines to meet or expectations to fulfill except the ones I impose on myself. The downside is that it's hard to get noticed. Other than what you can accomplish on your own with access to social media, advertising and promotion is far too expensive for most indie artists.
What's next for you?
I have some ideas for new songs that could result in another studio album in the next year or two. My current goal is to play out more and further develop my live performance skills. Developing my band is also an important goal of mine.
