Bella Ferraro (born 1994) is an Australian singer most notable for finishing fourth on the
fourth season of ''
The X Factor Australia
''The X Factor'' is an Australian television reality music competition, based on the original UK series, to find new singing talent. The first season of the show premiered on Network Ten on 6 February 2005. Ten dropped ''The X Factor'' after ...
'' in 2012.
Early life
Ferraro was born and raised in
Sydney, Australia
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and List of cities in Oceania by population, Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metro ...
.
She began singing as a child. At age five, she became a member of the
Australian Girls Choir
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Au ...
, who have performed at the annual
Carols in the Domain
Carols in the Domain is an annual Australian Christmas concert event held in the Domain Gardens in Sydney. It began in 1983, and features many national and international performers and guest appearances. It a free event, broadcast around Austral ...
and during
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954), or simply Oprah, is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', br ...
's Australian tour. Ferraro left school in Year 12 to pursue a music career.
Career
2012: ''The X Factor Australia''
Ferraro successfully auditioned for the
fourth season of ''
The X Factor
''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
'' in 2012, singing
"Skinny Love", with a treatment based on the version by
Birdy.
She was inspired to audition for the show after seeing the success of
One Direction
One Direction, often shortened to 1D, are an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group are composed of Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and previously Zayn Malik until his departure from the gr ...
on the
UK version.
During the
super bootcamp stage, Ferraro forgot the lyrics to the two songs she performed:
Gotye
Wouter André "Wally" De Backer (born 21 May 1980), better known by his stage name Gotye ( ), is a Belgian-Australian multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter. The name "Gotye" is a pronunciation respelling of "Gauthier", the French cognat ...
's "
Somebody That I Used to Know
"Somebody That I Used to Know" is a song written, produced, and performed by Belgian-Australian singer-songwriter Gotye featuring vocals from New Zealand singer Kimbra. The song was released in Australia and New Zealand by Eleven Music on 5 ...
" and
Crowded House
Crowded House are a rock band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in 1985. Its founding members were New Zealander Neil Finn (vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter) and Australians Paul Hester (drums) and Nick Seymour (bass). Later ban ...
's "
Don't Dream It's Over
"Don't Dream It's Over" is a song by rock band Crowded House, recorded for their 1986 self-titled debut studio album. The song was composed and written by New Zealand frontman Neil Finn, and released in October 1986 as the fourth single from t ...
".
For the first live performance show on 17 September 2012, Ferraro sang
Matt Corby
Matthew John Corby (born 7 November 1990) is an Australian singer-songwriter. He achieved his commercial breakthrough with his fourth EP, ''Into the Flame'' (2011), which peaked at No. 3 on the ARIA Singles Chart, and by April 2012, was cer ...
's "Brother" and received a mixed response from the judges.
Mel B
Melanie Janine Brown (born 29 May 1975), commonly known as Melanie B or Mel B, is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the girl group Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sc ...
said it was not the right song choice, while
Ronan Keating
Ronan Patrick John Keating (born 3 March 1977) is an Irish singer. He debuted in 1993 alongside Keith Duffy, Michael Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately, as the co-lead singer (with Gately) of Irish pop group Boyzone. His solo career start ...
disagreed saying that he loved the song choice and describing her performance as "beautiful".
For the second live performance show, Ferraro performed a stripped back version of "
What Makes You Beautiful
"What Makes You Beautiful" is the debut single by English-Irish boy band One Direction. It served as their debut single and lead single from their debut studio album, '' Up All Night'' (2011). Written by Savan Kotecha and producer Rami Yacoub, ...
". She received mixed reviews from the judges, who concluded that while the song was an appropriate choice, the arrangement did not match that week's theme, "Party Week".
Her performance of "What Makes You Beautiful" debuted at number 62 on the
ARIA Singles Chart
The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
.
For the third live performance show, she sang "
Big Yellow Taxi
"Big Yellow Taxi" is a song written, composed, and originally recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell in 1970, and originally released on her album '' Ladies of the Canyon''. It was a hit in her native Canada (No. 14) as well as Aust ...
" by
Joni Mitchell
Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...
and received a positive response from the judges for her vocals, but mixed reviews over the choreography incorporated into the performance.
Keating said the vocals were great but the dancing came in and it wasn't.
Ferraro's performance of "Big Yellow Taxi" debuted at number 84.
For the fourth live show, she sang "
Ray of Light
''Ray of Light'' is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Madonna, released in early 1998 by Maverick Records. A stylistic and aesthetical departure from her previous work, ''Ray of Light'' is an electronica and techno-pop reco ...
" by
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
followed by the English version of "
99 Red Balloons
"99 Luftballons" (german: link=no, Neunundneunzig Luftballons, "99 balloons") is a song by the German band Nena from their 1983 self-titled album. An English-language version titled "99 Red Balloons", with lyrics by Kevin McAlea, was also relea ...
" from German band
Nena
Gabriele Susanne Kerner (born 24 March 1960), better known as Nena, is a German singer and songwriter who rose to international fame in 1983 as the lead vocalist of the band Nena with the Neue Deutsche Welle song "99 Luftballons". In the same ye ...
for the fifth live show. In week six of the live shows, Ferraro fell into the bottom two alongside Fourtunate but was saved after Mel B,
Natalie Bassingthwaighte
Natalie Bassingthwaighte (; born 1 September 1975) is an Australian recording artist, actress, and Celebrity, television personality. Born and raised in Wollongong, New South Wales, she began her career in musical theatre. She later pursued an ...
, and
Guy Sebastian
Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first '' Australian Idol'' in 2003, judge on Australia's ''The X Factor'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach ...
all opted to eliminate Fourtunate.
For the seventh live performance show, Ferraro sang
The Temper Trap
The Temper Trap are an Australian indie rock band formed in 2005 by Dougy Mandagi, Jonathon Aherne, and Toby Dundas. In 2008, the group relocated from Melbourne to London. The band released their debut album '' Conditions'' in June 2009 to favou ...
's "
Sweet Disposition
"Sweet Disposition" is a song by Australian indie rock band The Temper Trap. Described by critics as an "indie anthem", the song was written by Dougy Mandagi and Lorenzo Silitto. Upon the song's release, it peaked at 14 in Australia and reached ...
".
Her performance of "Sweet Disposition" debuted at number 59.
For the eighth live performance show, Ferraro sang "
Dreams
A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, alth ...
" by
The Cranberries
The Cranberries were an Irish rock band formed in Limerick, Ireland. Originally named the Cranberry Saw Us, the band were formed in 1989 by lead singer Niall Quinn, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler. Quinn was ...
,
and her performance debuted at number 82.
In the semi-finals of the live shows, Ferraro fell into the bottom two alongside
The Collective; the result was a deadlock and so reverted to the earlier public vote. Ferraro was eliminated and thus placed fourth in the competition.
Her performance of "
The Last Day on Earth
"The Last Day on Earth" is a song by Australian singer Kate Miller-Heidke, written by herself with her husband Keir Nuttall, who also produced the song alongside Mickey Petralia. It was released on 24 July 2009 as the third and final single fro ...
" debuted at number 90.
Performances on ''The X Factor''
denotes having reached the ARIA Singles Chart.
denotes having been in the bottom two.
2012–2013: Record deal and singles
After ''The X Factor'' ended, Ferraro obtained a recording contract with
Sony Music Australia
Sony Music Entertainment Australia is the predominant record label operated by American parent company Sony Music Entertainment in Australia. SMEA also formerly published and distributed video games in Australia & New Zealand on behalf of Sony ...
and released her debut single "
Set Me on Fire" on 14 December 2012. The song peaked at number 36 on the ARIA Singles Chart on 30 December 2012.
Her second single "Forgot You", which features
Will Singe
Liam Anthony "William" Singe (born 2 July 1992) is an Australian YouTuber, singer, songwriter, and producer. He is most notable for his online videos on YouTube and Facebook.
Singe started his career as a member of The Collective, an Australian ...
of The Collective, was released on 18 October 2013 and peaked at number 75 on the ARIA Singles Chart.
2014: Leaving Sony Music & Social Media
Bella opted out of her recording contract & abandoned all social media in 2014. Ferraro is no longer signed to Sony Music Australia.
2015-2019: Life away from the spotlight, LilBels
Over the coming years, Bella studied music production, did backing vocals, keyboards & even performed on occasion under the name 'LilBels'
Bella performed as LilBels in Sydney with band ''Sister Peach'' where she was rediscovered by artist ''Zepha,'' a turning point for Bella's return to music.
2020-Present: Returning as Bella Ferraro, new single
Bella performed at the iconic Sydney venue, Low 302, where she played unreleased tracks that were recently finalized with friend & artist Zepha. After the positive response Bella decided to release a single titled 'Her' that was released in August 2020. The single would be part of an upcoming EP.
Dave Ruby Howe from
Triple j Unearthed
Triple J (stylised in all lowercase) is a government-funded, national Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners of alternative music, which began broadcasting in January 1975. The station also places a greater emphasis on broadc ...
had this to say about the single "Bella's vocal and this whole pulsing track does more than just luring you in. It's more like they trap you. Everything feels close up and connected; skin to skin, baring the soul."
Bella released her second single from the upcoming EP "Believe You" on 30 October 2020
Artistry
Ferraro cites
Bon Iver
Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon.
Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, ''For Emma, Forever Ago,'' independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon ...
,
Lykke Li
Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson (born 18 March 1986), known as Lykke Li (), is a Swedish singer. Her music often blends elements of indie pop, dream pop and electronic. Her debut studio album, ''Youth Novels'', was released in 2008, and has been fol ...
,
Crystal Castles
Crystal Castles was a Canadian electronic music group formed in 2006 in Toronto, Ontario, formed by songwriter-producer Ethan Kath and singer-songwriter Alice Glass, who later left and was replaced by Edith Frances. Crystal Castles were know ...
,
Foals
A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. When the foal is ...
and
Two Door Cinema Club
Two Door Cinema Club are a band from Bangor, County Down, Bangor, Northern Ireland. The band formed in 2007 and is composed of three members: Alex Trimble (vocals, rhythm guitar, beats, synths), Sam Halliday (lead guitar, backing vocals), and Ke ...
as her musical influences.
Discography
Singles
Other charted songs
References
External links
* (Archive)
https://www.bellaferraromusic.com/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferraro, Bella
Australian people of Italian descent
The X Factor (Australian TV series) contestants
Living people
Musicians from Sydney
1994 births
21st-century Australian singers
21st-century Australian women singers