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Bella Goes to Banff

Help me to attend an international songwriting residency in March!

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Bella Goes to Banff

Bella Goes to Banff

Bella Goes to Banff

Bella Goes to Banff

Bella Goes to Banff

Help me to attend an international songwriting residency in March!

Help me to attend an international songwriting residency in March!

Help me to attend an international songwriting residency in March!

Help me to attend an international songwriting residency in March!

Bella Larsen
Bella Larsen
Bella Larsen
Bella Larsen
1 Campaign |
Montreal, Canada
$1,302 USD $1,302 USD 36 backers
110% of $1,178 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal

Overview

Hey there! Thanks for visiting my Indiegogo. My name is Bella and I'm a Montreal-based singer/songwriter. This March, I'm heading out west to participate in a songwriting residency at the Banff Centre for Arts & Creativity. Attending this three week residency has long been a dream of mine and I couldn't be more excited that I'm actually doing it. In fact, I'm still pinching myself: approximately 20 people (from all around the world!) are accepted to this residency every year.

I was accepted to the Banff Centre with thanks to my hard work, passion, dedication, and love of music, but I still need your help. 

 

The International Songwriter Residency takes places every March at the Banff Centre. Over the course of three weeks, participants have the chance to explore their artistic practice with award-winning faculty. Part of the application process includes submitting a proposal for a project that one ideally works towards whilst at the Banff Centre, but the actual structure of the residency varies from participant to participant. Whether folks want to spend the entirety of their time recording demos, workshopping already-existing material with other participants and faculty, working towards their proposed project, or even absorbing inspiration from the beauty of Banff, it's totally up to the individual! At its most basic, the residency provides artists with a space where their sole job is to be creative. Pretty cool, right? 

What is my project, you might ask? At the Banff Centre, I will be exploring the theme of loss through songwriting. Two years ago, I experienced a loss that has left me (and others close to me) with many unanswered questions. I haven't always arrived at answers to these questions, but music has given me an outlet to at least ask. For my project, I plan to map out a series of songs that examine loss in its many guises; I will further explore my own personal loss, as well as the losses that are pertinent to marginalized groups (i.e. the North American AIDS epidemic, or the pressing issue of suicides by queer youth). I'm going to narrate these stories from a place of authority and lived experience that the songs on my 2017 album lacked. The songs I wrote as a teenager depict a young queer person who is examining what it means to fall in and out of love for the first time. Now, years later, I am interested in continuing to draw inspiration from my experiences to create art, but I’d also like to tell more stories that exist beyond the walls of my mind. I want to continue to pursue songwriting for the joy and therapy that I find in storytelling, but I’d also like to write songs in which my voice as Bella takes a backseat, rather than being the one that drives the song’s primary narrative. I am of the mind that investigating loss through the act of songwriting is the perfect avenue through which I can achieve these goals.

Find out more about both the residency and the Banff Centre here: https://www.banffcentre.ca/programs/banff-inter...

I'm Bella, I'm 21, I use they/them pronouns, and I love music... a lot. 

When I was 10, my Nonna bought me my first guitar. Upon first strum, I remember feeling frustrated that I couldn't make my guitar sound good by simply playing the open strings. Now, nearly twelve years later, I like to think that my musical abilities have improved a bit. 

Since I began writing songs at age fifteen, I have independently released a 2017 self-titled record (which now has over 26,000 streams on Spotify), played over 100 shows across Eastern Canada, and I have written a collection of songs, which, in the coming year, I will use as the building blocks for a second album. In the years following the debut of my first record, a lot happened. I moved across the country twice. I enrolled in a philosophy program at a university in Halifax and then dropped out after my second year. I put my life on pause after experiencing a sudden loss. I'm so thankful that through music, I have always been able to confront my emotions—both extremely personal and part of the universal human experience. Songwriting has allowed me to consider some of life’s most pressing questions all while making art.

Right now, I'm taking a year off of school to work, volunteer (I teach sex ed to high schoolers), and obviously, make music. Next year, I hope to be pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work at McGill. 

Though the Banff Centre is considered a post-secondary institution, after completing my residency, I will not be walking away from those three weeks with any kind of diploma or certificate. Rather, I will have written some new songs, gained some wisdom (from the faculty, the participants, and the stunning landscape alike), and hopefully, arrived at some answers to the questions that I plan to ask in my music. For me, these things are much more valuable than a bureaucratic piece of paper. Still, this all being said, the residency is very much a passion project: I am paying out of pocket to travel to and attend the Banff Centre. 

With your support, I will be able to pay for travel costs (a return train ticket from Montreal to Toronto, a return plane ticket from Toronto to Calgary, and a return shuttle ticket from Calgary to Banff) and tuition for the Banff Centre's International Songwriter Residency. As well, you will help me to thrive & survive while I'll be lacking any sort of steady income for more than a month.

I currently work part-time at a restaurant in Montreal where I rely on tips to pay for everything from rent to therapy to groceries. I'm also 100% financially independent. Without any money coming in, I'm unsure as to how I will pay for my expenses, both for Banff and just for life. 

So far, I've received financial assistance from the Banff Centre (which covers my room and board) and from a few very generous family members. I'm incredibly thankful for the abundance of support, care, encouragement, and love that has come my way since I started playing music. With a little bit of extra help, I could concentrate more on my ideas and goals as a songwriter instead of worrying about the consequences I might face from not working for three weeks. Financial aid would mean being able to whole heartedly appreciate my experience rather than fret about justifying its feasibility. I can say with certainty that participating in the Songwriter Residency at the Banff Centre is going to change my life. All I need is a little bit of help to get there.

For every donation of $10 and onward, you'll receive perks in the form of personal messages, Bella Larsen merch (made by my incredible partner), updates, and other goodies, all as a thank you from me. 

I also completely understand that not everyone is in the financial position to donate. If you're able, just sharing my Indiegogo--whether via Facebook, Instagram, or even word of mouth--means the world. 

Montreal friends: I will be hosting a Songwriter in the Round show at Cafe Ursa on January 26th, which is the day before my birthday. I love this kind of show because it exhibits the unique songwriting styles of a handful of different musicians, whilst also giving the audience a look into their respective artist brains (think of it like the music version of an art gallery!). This show will be $10/PWYC, and all of the proceeds will go towards helping me get to Banff. If you're in town, I highly encourage you to come. Details TBA. 

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Choose your Perk

Letter

Letter

Currency Conversion $7 USD
$10 CAD
A personalized, handwritten 'thank you' letter from me to you!
Included Items
  • Letter
Estimated Shipping
June 2020
1 claimed
Ships worldwide.
Sticker

Sticker

Currency Conversion $10 USD
$15 CAD
A Bella Larsen sticker featuring an incredible graphic made by Shannon Stride. You can place the sticker wherever you'd like! Laptop, water bottle, forehead, you name it. Comes with a letter.
Included Items
  • Letter
  • Sticker
Estimated Shipping
June 2020
6 out of 50 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
Tote Bag

Tote Bag

Currency Conversion $21 USD
$30 CAD
Got some emotional baggage that's weighing you down? Carry it around with you in a Bella Larsen tote bag featuring an incredible graphic made by Shannon Stride. Comes with a letter and a sticker inside.
Included Items
  • Letter
  • Sticker
  • Tote Bag
Estimated Shipping
June 2020
12 out of 50 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
Shirt

Shirt

Currency Conversion $35 USD
$50 CAD
Wearing a t-shirt with Bella Larsen on it is very fashionable nowadays. Don't be a dweeb... keep up with the trends and buy a Bella shirt featuring an incredible graphic made by Shannon Stride. This perk also comes with a letter, a sticker, and a tote bag.
Included Items
  • Letter
  • Sticker
  • Tote Bag
  • Shirt
Estimated Shipping
June 2020
0 out of 50 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
Early Access

Early Access

Currency Conversion $52 USD
$75 CAD
At the Banff Centre, I will be workshopping music that I've written in the last few years. I hope to also to write some new music there, too. Eventually these songs will be the building blocks for my second album. With this perk, you'll be one of the first people to hear the finished project, and you'll also receive all of the perks listed above.
Included Items
  • Letter
  • Sticker
  • Tote Bag
  • Shirt
  • Early Access
Estimated Shipping
August 2020
2 out of 50 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
Special Thanks

Special Thanks

Currency Conversion $69 USD
$100 CAD
Your generous support deserves a special kind of thank you. In the credits of my upcoming album, you will receive a Special Thanks, along with all of the perks listed above.
Included Items
  • Letter
  • Sticker
  • Tote Bag
  • Shirt
  • Early Access
  • Special Thanks
Estimated Shipping
August 2020
3 out of 10 of claimed
Ships worldwide.
Your Name in a Song

Your Name in a Song

Currency Conversion $139 USD
$200 CAD
With this top-notch perk, I will thank you in the best way that I know: I will include your name in an original song. You'll also receive all of the perks listed above.
Included Items
  • Letter
  • Sticker
  • Tote Bag
  • Shirt
  • Early Access
  • Special Thanks
  • Your Name in a Song
Estimated Shipping
August 2020
1 out of 2 of claimed
Ships worldwide.

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