Belles and Gals – The Second Year!
Today is the 2nd birthday of Belles and Gals and I thought I’d take this opportunity to look back on some of the highlights of the last year. A year ago today we celebrated our first anniversary by announcing our first ever BGA (Belles and Gals Awards) winners, and we’ll be doing the same again this time around.
We kicked off the second year with our first ever live gig!
This took place at Studio 2 in Liverpool and such was the success of the night that further gigs took place throughout the year at the Green Note and the Sound Lounge. Appearing in these live events we’ve had some of the very best female artists in the UK – Emma Moore, Hannah Rose Platt, Chloe McVeigh, Samantha Lloyd, Kaity Rae, Liv Austen, Hannah White, Rebecca Rosewell and Emily Moment.
Plans are certainly afoot for more live gigs in 2018 – watch this space for when and where!
The last year has seen Belles and Gals go stateside too, with Music City’s own Melanie Meriney writing her regular ‘Notes from Nashville’ articles – these are a fascinating read and give you a real insight into the life of a musician in the home of country music.
One of the biggest success stories of the year has been the introduction of our ‘Your Voice, Your Choice’ series, where artists tell us all about a song that has inspired them, while we feature a song we love from the artist. Currently we’ve featured 37 artists (look out for number 38 tomorrow!)
We’ve also had the opportunity of interviewing some of the best artists in the industry. Lindsay Ell, Brandy Clark and Carly Pearce interviews have been particular highlights from across the pond, while we’ve also been lucky enough to interview some of the best talent in the wonderful UK scene too.
Since I started Belles and Gals 2 years ago, I’ve been asked many times why it’s a female only site? The answer has been a simple one – I’ve always been drawn to female artists and I wanted to reflect that. However, it’s become evidently clear in those two years that female artists don’t get a fair deal in the genre – look at the radio play stats in the US and there is no doubt. We’re now committed to highlight this wherever possible and aid in the fight to redress this balance. It’s 2018 – this shouldn’t be happening!
I’d like to close this piece by highlighting a very special bunch of people – the Belles and Gals team! This year has seen the team expand again and you couldn’t ask for a better group of committed, talented and enthusiastic people. Astrid Mjøen, Becky Lawrence, Emma Moore, Katie Louise Ingram, Laura Cooney, Laura Klonowski, Lesley Hastings, Liam Lewis, Mike Ross and Nathalie Larsen – without these guys there would be no Belles and Gals. The team are drawn from the UK, Europe and the US and many of us have never even met, but we all have one thing in common. A love for the best genre on the planet.
Here’s to year three!
Images courtesy of Redrospective.com
