User:Lamacha9617/Jennah Bell

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Jennah Bell
Born1989 (age 34–35)
Oakland, California
OriginNew York, New York
Genressoul, folk, R&B, bluegrass, country
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Years active2011–present
Websitehttp://www.jennahbell.com/

Jennah Bell is an American musician, known for blending styles such as folk, country, R&B, and soul. Her first album Anchors & Elephants was released in February 2019.

Biography and style[edit]

Bell's father is musician Ronald Bell of the R&B/funk band Kool & the Gang, and her uncle is Robert "Kool" Bell.[1][2] Bell began writing poetry and lyrics at the age of 7 and started playing the guitar at the age of 13.[3][4] As a young musician, she was one of 11 singer/songwriters selected to attend a summer program through the Grammy Foundation which she credits for encouraging her unique musical style.[5][6]

Bell graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2009.[7]

Bell has been celebrated as a genre-bending musician who is a rare Black artist in predominantly white genres, such as country and bluegrass. In an interview in 2022, Bell stated:

If you’ve only ever seen white people play country music, then it’s going to be a very stark contrast when a Black woman does it. You’re going to instinctually not call it country music. Americana is as much a right and an origin story for Black people as it is for [anyone else].[4]

Her style has been compared to Amy Winehouse, Alanis Morissette, Erykah Badu, and Joni Mitchell.[8][9][10][11]

Career[edit]

Bell first began to attract attention with a series of Youtube videos directed by Rafael Casal in which she sings and plays guitar inside various BART stations.[6] In 2011, Bell self-released her first EP, Early Bird.[9] She released her subsequent EP, Live from Mother NY with Okayplayer Records in 2012 and later that year performed a song from the EP, "Chapter 3: The Hatchet", at the 2012 BET Awards as the only unsigned performer of the night.[6][10] For her lyrical writing, she was listed as one of the top 30 poets under 30 by Muzzle Magazine in 2013.[12] Bell's third EP, Anatomy was released by Dox Records in 2015.[13]

Bell's song "The End" was featured in the television series Black Lightning in 2018.[14]

In February 2019, Bell self-released her album, Anchors & Elephants, produced by James Poyser with mixing by Russell Elevado.[15][11]

Bell toured with Emily King in spring 2019.[16] She was listed as one of "10 Folk Artists You Need to Know" by Paste Magazine in 2019.[7] In 2020, in response to widespread racial unrest, Bell signed onto a public letter with hundreds of artists, public figures, and organizations in support of police reform legislation in California.[17] After the original 2020 tour was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bell went on an North American tour with the soul group The Dip in 2022.[18]

In June 2022, Bell performed at the Tennessee Theatre as part of the Black Opry Revue alongside Chapel Hart and Kam Franklin, in the theater's "Pass the Mic" series highlighting Black Americana artists.[19]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Title Details
Anchors & Elephants
  • Released: February 22, 2019
  • Label: Independent

EPs[edit]

Title Details
Anatomy
  • Released: December 7, 2015
  • Label: Dox Records
Live At Mother NY
Early Bird
  • Released: March 1, 2011
  • Label: self-released

References[edit]

  1. ^ Genzlinger, Neil (10 September 2020). "Ronald Khalis Bell of Kool & the Gang Dies at 68". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  2. ^ Terry, Dana; Stasio, Frank (6 January 2020). "A New Bell Strikes A Refreshing Tone: Singer Songwriter Jennah Bell". WUNC. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Jennah Bell, the sum of music's best parts". VSCO. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  4. ^ a b Jackson, Ashawnta (3 June 2019). "Jennah Bell Carves the Courage In Her Work". She Shreds Media. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  5. ^ "About". Jennah Bell. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "10 Things You Should Know About Jennah Bell". BET. June 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  7. ^ a b Johnson, Ellen (18 January 2019). "10 Folk Artists You Need to Know in 2019". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  8. ^ Stubblebine, Allison (24 January 2019). "This Soul-Infused Track Is Reminiscent Of Amy Winehouse Deep Cuts". Nylon. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  9. ^ a b Brekke-Miesner, Lukas (2 September 2011). "Watch Me". Life+Times. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  10. ^ a b Dantana (6 December 2012). "Okayplayer Records To Release Jennah Bell 'Live at Mother NY' EP". Okayplayer. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  11. ^ a b Blum, Jordan (13 February 2019). "Singer-songwriter Jennah Bell Captivates with Tasteful Confessions on "Love Is My Disease" (premiere)". PopMatters. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  12. ^ Smith, Danez (10 April 2013). "30 Under 30 9/30: Jennah Bell". Muzzle Magazine. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  13. ^ Ishola, Abi (9 March 2016). "'Black Women Are Infinite' Jennah Bell Talks Her Latest EP, 'Anatomy'". HuffPost. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  14. ^ Kelly, Autumn (30 January 2018). "Black Lightning Soundtrack: Episode 3 Song Recap". Player.One. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  15. ^ Johnson, Ellen (4 February 2019). "Daily Dose: Jennah Bell, "Common Cold"". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  16. ^ Cakes, B. (22 March 2019). "Jennah Bell Makes A Bold Visual Statement With 'Can't Be Too Careful'". SoulBounce. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  17. ^ Ushe, Naledi (20 August 2020). "Alyssa Milano, Billie Eilish, Mariah Carey, hundreds more celebs sign California police reform proposal letter". Fox News. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  18. ^ Coca, Richard (26 May 2022). "The Dip brings soul and funk to The Guild Theater". The Stanford Daily. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  19. ^ Cristi, A. A. (31 May 2022). "Free BLACK OPRY REVIEW Announced At Tennessee Theatre, June 8". Broadway World. Retrieved 22 June 2022.

External links[edit]


Category:Living people Category:21st-century African-American women singers Category:African-American women singer-songwriters Category:Musicians from Oakland, California Category:Singer-songwriters from California Category:American soul singers Category:American country singer-songwriters Category:American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Category:American bluegrass musicians Category:American folk singers Category:Berklee College of Music alumni


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