The Story of A Return Camper: Bella King

It’s the first full day of GRAMMY Camp, but Bella King has witnessed it all before. The excited new musicians and counsellors flood the cafeteria as I talk to the alum about what drove her to return. Bella described last year’s camp as “one of the most life changing weeks of my life” because “all of the amazing opportunities we had” and making dear friends who follow her blog religiously still today. She came to camp last year as a music journalist but this year decided that she wanted to do something new. Bella is an avid blogger and is very passionate about her self-run website, Melodic Tree. The expansion of her personal blog is important to this young music lover and is what guided her to be a part of the music business track. She feels like “business would help me expand my website and make it better as a whole.”

Although the majority of her life as a musician closed with her graduation from high school band, she is still adamant about the effect music has on her day-to-day life. Bella described herself and her brother as more of the musically inclined members of her family but said that her parents never shied away from introducing them at a young age to many artists.  “My all-time favorite band is the Foo Fighters,” and when asked how she was introduced to the band, Bella responded, “My mom played the Foo Fighters for me from the day I was born.” Her parents’ musical influence inspired Bella to discover bands that she otherwise may not have came across.

When I asked Bella what song she would love to play with her favorite band she hesitated. After combing through her mental discography of memorized tunes, her final answer was “Aurora.” This song is one of her favorites not only because of the “awesome guitar intro,” but because of the real emotions behind the song as well. As described by Bella, Dave Grohl, the lead singer of the Foo Fighters, had just gone through a divorce when this album was written and is evident to all listeners because “there is just so much emotion behind every song and that’s why I like the album.” The inspiration for Bella’s blog pursuit is based on the emotion she feels for every note she has ever heard. Her love for music is clear in the passion she portrays when discussing how her goal is to illustrate “that music is a driving force” and has the potential to change everyone’s life for the better just as it has for this music enthusiast.