From Geelong to Global Stardom: Bella Deer’s Musical Odyssey

Join us into the musical journey of Isabella Losi, known to her fans as BELLA DEER, through her interview “From Geelong to Global Stardom: BELLA DEER’s Musical Odyssey”.

Isabella is a dynamic songwriter, pianist, vocalist and performer.

In this exclusive interview, she shares her inspirations, creative process and experiences performing across the globe.

Discover how she balances her personal and professional life, the challenges of being an independent artist and her aspirations for the future.

Bella also offers heartfelt advice for aspiring musicians, encouraging them to pursue their dreams with unwavering self-belief.

Tell us a little bit about yourself, who are you, what do you do, and where were you born?

Hi! My name is Isabella Losi, but I perform as BELLA DEER.

I am a songwriter, pianist, vocalist and live performer and recording artist.

I was born in Geelong, Wadawurrung Country which is located in the southern state of Victoria, in Australia (very close to the state’s capital, Melbourne).

How did you begin your journey in music? What inspired you to become a musician?

I’ve always loved music.

My first introduction to music was playing violin, which definitely wasn’t for me – I appreciate what a beautiful and difficult instrument it is to play. 

I started piano at the age of 6 and I learnt classical piano and at age around 12/13 I began veering away from learning classical compositions and instead started writing my own songs, which were mainly in the style of ballads.

I began singing lessons around the age of 14 and from there I started performing live around my hometown.

Have never stopped since!

Can you tell us about your creative process? How do you compose your songs and where do you draw inspiration from?

The process that I’ve been using the past few years is playing the piano live and writing melody, lyrics and music all together.

Recently I’ve done some songwriting with other musicians and this has really helped me change the process up a bit.

I think it depends who you’re working with and how comfortable you feel.

What has your experience of traveling the world to play music been like? What countries or cities have impressed you the most?

For me this has been one of the most exciting and rewarding things about my life.

Seoul, South Korea really impressed me with how accessible their nightlife is and how welcoming they were to me as a foreign musician and artist.

I also love travelling out of my home state of Victoria to places like South Australia and Queensland.

I love going to their capital cities of Adelaide and Brisbane which welcome live music with open arms.

Have you noticed significant differences between Australian audiences and audiences in other countries?

Absolutely! I was so surprised how attentive my Korean audience was.

They were really responsive to my performance.

My favourite story to tell was that I got the crowd clapping for one song and they didn’t stop until the very end.

This would never happen in Australia!

It was really funny (because they were perfectly in time and really cool).

What are the biggest challenges you face during your international tours?

I haven’t been on tour officially per se, but I really enjoy performing aboard.

One massive challenge about touring is regarding the promotion of shows.

As a fully independent artist, it can be hard travelling somewhere for the first time because you have no industry connections there.

Legacy artists don’t have this problem because they’ve been in the industry 20+ years.

I am still growing my fan base because I am not on a record label and don’t have a massive PR team pushing my work.

My music is still relatively unknown, but I am definitely hoping to change that.

That’s why I still go forth to plan my trips abroad and I also find opportunities to perform around that.

I hope I can be planning an official international tour in the future!

Do you have any interesting or funny anecdotes to share about your travels?

Back in 2013 I was snowboarding in Valle D’Aosta with my cousin.

There was a cover band playing in the bar.

My cousin said, ‘Do you want to play?’ and he asked them if I could do 2 songs.

I got up, played a very small keyboard where the powerpack kept falling out.

The Italian audience stopped talking, and listened to my original songs.

It was one of the most amazing experiences. I think the audience appreciated that. 

After I finished, the room started talking again.

It was really odd but a core memory and made me dream that maybe I could do this seriously one day. I am now making that dream a reality!

How do you maintain a balance between your personal and professional life while touring?

I try to keep hydrated, first and foremost.

I try to keep a healthy lifestyle and keep my voice in good shape by doing some practice.

Having super supportive and trustworthy friends and family whilst travelling is also so important.

I do work another job too, so that can be really hard sometimes to be also working in the music industry.

I think it is all about balance, good communication and ensuring you keep on believing in yourself.

Are you working on any new projects or collaborations?

Absolutely – I’m currently working here in Milan with fellow musician and singer-songwriter, Silvia.

She is very versatile and confident and I am really blessed to know her.

We’ve been friends since we were teenaagers when she came to study in Australia.

We’re going to be performing at this year’s Ferrara Buskers Festival together at the end of August.

I also have a new EP coming out later this year with my 4 piece band – shout out to my A team – Simon (bass), Rael (Drums) and Josh (guitar) still working hard back home.

The project is supported by a City of Greater Geelong Community Grant.

I also have a music video currently being made for one of the songs with David Fromholtz, which I am having lots of input in, which is super important to me and my image as an artist. 

I am also in the middle of some co-writing sessions and hope to do more with new musicians and producers.

I’m really excited to finish them off and see how they turn out recorded and perhaps also adding them to my setlist.

What are your long-term goals as a musician and globe trotter? Where do you see yourself in five to 10 years?

I would absolutely love to still be doing this in 5 to 10 years.

For me one of my main goals is to have more online listeners that turn into long term fans.

If this can happen then my real wish is that they would be willing to come and see me perform live – wherever that takes me.

I would also really like to extensively tour the US or other parts of Europe because I know that unlike Australia, their audiences are much larger and less spread out, so therefore more worthwhile to tour.

Indeed very expensive for us, but I think it’s definitely worth it.

How do your travels influence your music and creativity?

For me life is about relationships, experiences and lessons.

It’s about sharing those stories, both mine and those of others.

Without travel and experiencing and embracing new cultures, I think you can become very stale.

I am also loving speaking and listening to Italian every day.

This is why I and so many others got so depressed during covid.

I could not connect with people and audiences in person. Live performance is one of my favourite parts of being a singer/songwriter.

Is there a message or advice you would like to give to young musicians aspiring to an international career?

Do not give up.

No matter what you encounter there is always another path. People’s opinions are simply that – opinions.

Don’t be afraid to share your work both in live performance and in recordings. You will always improve.

Work with many different people and take risks with your work.

Work hard, learn new skills and always expect nothing and you will never be disappointed.

Support your local scene and other musicians.

Finally, love what you do, and if you don’t, maybe try to do something else because yes, it’s a hard path, but a very emotionally and (sometimes) professionally rewarding one. You need to have a crazy amount of self belief!

Thank you very much Isabella!

Isabella Losi, or BELLA DEER, embodies the spirit of a passionate and dedicated artist, continually evolving and expanding her horizons.

From her roots in Geelong to captivating audiences worldwide, her journey is a testament to resilience, creativity and the power of music.

As she looks to the future, Bella’s dreams of international tours and a growing fan base reflect her unwavering commitment to her craft.

 Her story inspires aspiring musicians to believe in themselves and embrace every opportunity.

Bella’s music, infused with her global experiences, promises to continue enchanting listeners everywhere.

If you want to learn more about bella and her music here are some useful links:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/0GHaUlih8AcAozREBWXuwF?si=Rt6BZ1XnTHiuWJlOxIZXsA

https://www.instagram.com/belladeer.music/

https://www.youtube.com/@belladeermusic

https://spotify.link/e10NT3DRGDb

https://www.facebook.com/belladeermusic.fb

https://www.belladeer.com/

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