Evan Nicole Bell
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Evan Nicole Bell | |
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 Bell performing in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Evan Nicole Bell |
| Born | February 15, 1997 Texas, U.S. |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2022–present |
| Labels |
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| Website | evannicolebell |
Evan Nicole Bell (born February 15, 1997) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Bell received notable attention in August 2022 following a viral X (Twitter) video showcasing her singing and playing a cover of Crosscut Saw by Albert King.[1] Since then, Bell’s videos covering blues, rock, and soul artists including Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Jimi Hendrix, The Temptations, B.B. King, and Muddy Waters continue to circulate on social media, garnering millions of views.[2]
Bell's voice has been described as “soulful,” “sultry,” “smoky,” and “powerful.”[3][4] Called an “especially gifted singer, songwriter, and guitarist,”[5] Bell plays the electric guitar, classical guitar, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and piano.[6] As of 2024, she has released one extended play (EP), Runaway Girl,[7] which charted at No. 31 on the IBBA Most Played Album Top 40 in January 2024.[8]
Life and career[edit]
Early life and education[edit]
Bell was born in Texas[6] and grew up in Columbia, Maryland.[9] She is a graduate of Duke University, where she was the recipient of the 2018 Center for Documentary Studies Julia Harper Day Award.[10]
Bell started playing acoustic and classical guitar in the eighth grade and electric guitar at age 21, when she was gifted an Epiphone Les Paul by her mother.[1] Her upbringing and her interest in African-American history and music theory contributed to her passion for blues, roots, and soul music.[6]
Career[edit]
2021-2023: Online presence[edit]
In August 2021, Bell uploaded a video of herself covering Crosscut Saw by Albert King to YouTube and Facebook to participate in Play Music on the Porch Day. One year later, in July 2022, the video was shared by the Twitter account "@bluezharp", where it received over 250,000 views, increasing Bell's Twitter following from 12 to 10,000 in a matter of weeks.[1]
Following her first viral moment, in October 2022, Bell was invited to perform a special Live Session for Public Radio Music Day by NPR Music member station WTMD, who called Bell “one of the most exciting newcomers on the Baltimore scene.”[11] She performed her original music and covers of songs by Koko Taylor and Tracy Chapman. Her performance was one of six chosen from hundreds across the nation to be featured on the front page of NPR Music.[1]
In 2023, an unspecified illness or injury to Bell’s voice caused her to take a year-long hiatus from singing, during which she focused on acoustic fingerstyle guitar and songwriting.[12]
2024-Present: Recording career[edit]
Bell released her debut EP, Runaway Girl,[13] on January 11, 2024 to critical acclaim. Music reviewer John Kereiff wrote "[Bell's] advanced finger-picking, electric guitar riffs and sultry voice are sheer bloody magic...the sound is breezy, expressive, taut and exciting...exceptionally well produced."[14] Reviewer Esther Kessel-Tamerus wrote "Evan Nicole Bell is a name to remember."[15]
Bell has a significant international audience; her music is in rotation on radio stations in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Poland, Belgium, France, Spain, New Zealand, Japan,[16] Australia, and the Netherlands. Her EP was featured by blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa in playlists highlighting “the best” blues, blues rock, and soul blues music.[17]
Bell has mentioned plans to release an album in 2024.[15]
Music style and influences[edit]
Blues & Rhythm Magazine called Bell “a highly talented multi-instrumentalist.”[6] When recording, Bell sings background vocals and plays every instrument on her songs, excluding drums.[18] When live, she performs with a seven-piece band.[19]
Bell’s guitar playing has been described as “Hendrixian,” “searing,”[4] and “cool.”[14] Her music has been described as a mixture of soul, blues, pop, funk, rock, R&B, jazz, and Americana.[4][5] Online soul music magazine SoulTracks writes that Bell "mines and embraces the rich history of soul, blues and Americana while at the same time making it decidedly her own."[5]
Bell has cited Koko Taylor[6] and Jimi Hendrix[15] as musical influences. Her vocal and guitar style has been compared to Tracy Chapman, B.B. King, Amy Winehouse, and Sade.[14]
Discography[edit]
Extended plays[edit]
| Title | EP details |
|---|---|
| Runaway Girl[7] |
|
Personal life[edit]
Bell is an award-winning documentary photographer and has shown two exhibits of her work.[20]
External links[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Evan Nicole Bell: Public Radio Music Day Session". NPR Music. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ↑ Cameron, Iain. "Quickies - Evan Nicole Bell, Robby Krieger And The Soul Savages, Harpo Walker". Blues Enthused. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ↑ "Live Sessions: Evan Nicole Bell". NPR Music. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Clarke, Graham. "What's New". Blues Bytes. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Patryk, Robb (10 August 2022). "First Listen: Introducing Evan Nicole Bell". Soul Tracks. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Stephenson, Mike (Nov 2023). "Blues Youngbloods: Evan Nicole Bell". Blues & Rhythm Magazine (380): 10. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Runaway Girl - EP by Evan Nicole Bell". Apple Music. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ↑ "Most Played Album Top 40 - January 2024". Independent Blues Broadcasters Association. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ↑ Hemphill, Corin. "Evan Nicole Bell: Documenting through photography". The Durham Voice. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ↑ "Duke Senior Evan Nicole Bell Wins CDS's Julia Harper Day Award". Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. 9 May 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ↑ "WTMD hosts live, local music all day long Oct. 26 for Public Radio Music Day 2022". WTMD.org. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ↑ "@evannicolebell". X (Twitter). Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ↑ Verhaege, Philip. "Evan Nicole Bell: Runaway Girl". Keys and Chords Online Music Magazine. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Kereiff, John (22 January 2024). "The Rock Doctor's Hot Wax Album Reviews – Week of Jan 22". Gonzo Okanagan. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Kessel-Tamerus, Esther. "Übersicht Über Die Albumrezensionen: Papooz, Evan Nicole Bell, Ludovico Einaudi Und Mehr". Maxazine. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ↑ "Barakan Beat January 14, 2024 (Stevie Wonder, Evan Nicole Bell, Yellow Magic Orchestra)". RadioMusic.jp. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ↑ "Cutting Edge Blues". Spotify. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ↑ Verhagen, Jos (20 January 2024). "EP recensie: Evan Nicole Bell – Runaway Girl". Blues Magazine. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ↑ "Evan Nicole Bell Debut EP 'Runaway Girl'". Keys and Chords Online Music Magazine. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
- ↑ "Senior Evan Nicole Bell Named Duke Chapel C. Eric Lincoln Fellow". Duke Today. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
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- AfC submissions by date/05 February 2024
- Musical artist
- 1997 births
- American blues guitarists
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