Q&A: Belle Shea Navigates Uncertainty with New Single “Choke”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY SAMANTHA SORIA ☆
Photo by Fiona Carlsen
EVERY CONVERSATION WITH BELLE SHEA IS AN EXCITING ONE— and our latest chat was no exception. Catching up with the singer-songwriter is always illuminating and refreshing, and this was especially the case as we discussed her new single, “Choke.”
The song marks the first glimpse into Belle’s upcoming sophomore album, In Living Memory, and finds her exploring the heavy, uncertain space between life and loss.
In this interview with The Luna Collective, Belle opened up about the creative process behind “Choke,” describing it not as a moment of clarity, but rather as a song immersed in uncertainty and the “maybe” that comes with searching for answers that never immediately arrive.
Photo by Fiona Carlsen
LUNA: So let’s talk about your new song, “Choke.” It’s the first single off of your upcoming album, In Living Memory. I don’t know how, but you did it again. You’ve created another song that I cannot wait to add to my playlist of songs that I cannot get out of my head.
BELLE: That’s honestly the standard for me. I’m like, “Do you like it?” [laughs] We’ve done so many interviews together, I’m like, if you like it, I feel like I got somewhere with this.
LUNA: Was this song created during the production of Vetiver or was it post the EP and saved for a later time that felt right?
BELLE: That’s a really good question. It’s later. Actually, I think all the songs on the album are post Vetiver songwriting. Everything is new. There’s definitely some crossover sound but I think all the writing is very fresh and is finding me in a very different place than I was during the Vetiver songwriting.
LUNA: “Choke” is described as capturing that feeling of being in the midst of life but also feeling like you’re in death. That’s such a heavy feeling to put into words, but it’s one that provides introspection. In the creation of this song, did you have a moment of clarity that helped you better understand the loss and grief you were experiencing?
BELLE: I don’t know that I did. I think the song is like the search for that. I think the song is the search for the moment where the waves stop and your head stays about the water and you’re like, “I figured out what was happening and what I was feeling and what I need to do now.” I think the song is actually a real, bobbing up and down uncertainty song. It’s much more the messiness and the nausea and the sick feeling that comes all on that hunt for discovery. I think that’s why this song really revolves around the word “maybe.”
“Maybe I’m just a skeptic / Maybe it was like magic.” That’s kind of the hook to me, which is something I’ve worked with before in one of my other songs, “Cheyenne,” which is a much more grounded song. That’s a song revolving around the word “maybe” and this is a song that revolves around “I’m looking for an answer, but maybe it’s all of them, all at once”, you know? So, I think no is the answer. I think no moment of clarity, unfortunately. I’m stuck in it! [laughs]
LUNA: At around the 1:54 mark there’s this little unique sound in the background. It’s almost like a warped scratch.
BELLE: There are a bunch of scratches throughout. 1:54 I think is the bridge, so probably the most visible spot of Sam [producer], just playing something that honestly sounds like a nail on a chalkboard that I was like, “I don’t want this to stay in because it sounds bad” but he was like “No, no! Trust the magic of the process!” It’s scratches, basically. It’s a synth that sounds like a door opening and closing and he just added it a bunch up and down throughout the bridge. I think it sounds honestly terrible out of context of the song and in context of the song it’s awesome.
There’s a lot of playing around with this idea of powerlessness and noise. I feel like a really obvious way to make this song would be to have a big distorted electric guitar, a big amp, and a big strum. Instead it’s a really soft chorused, pretty, sparkly baritone guitar and an acoustic tenor guitar on lead.
I feel like when you’re in a period of grief and you’re stuck, vacillating for an answer, you want this light bulb moment, and that’s what electric guitars feel like to me. They’re really fulfilling and they’re really big and instead, this song is a lot of acoustic instruments and little scratchy sounds.I wanted them to feel purposely a little bit powerless.
LUNA: The way that “Choke” ends, there’s something anticipatory about it. There’s this energy floating above it from the beginning that leaves you right on the edge and when it ends, you’re almost left guessing as to what will happen next. Was this intentional?
BELLE: I always wanted it to be the first song so I didn’t want it to resolve. I also think that might come partially from the fact that it doesn’t really have a chorus. It’s a three minute pop song that doesn’t have anything repeated other than the last line that finally repeats at the very end. So I want it to feel like a jumping off point for the album. I don’t think all the rest of the album sounds exactly like it.
LUNA: I had a feeling.
BELLE: Yeah, I wanted it to start with a bang and in some ways “Choke” is like a hooky, basic, four-chord, Nokia ringtone, three minute pop song. It’s also one without a chorus and without any noticeable refrain to grab onto until the last line of the song. That’s an interesting distinction about it.
LUNA: With all that “Choke” explores, will the next single be a look further down the album? Will it tell a different place where you were at or will it be in the same place?
BELLE: The obvious answer is you’ll have to wait and see! [laughs] But I do think the album has some different sounds on it, some very different production styles. I think the second song is going to be a very different and surprising twist off of the ending of “Choke.”
Photo by Fiona Carlsen
