As seen in Guitar Girl Magazine Special Edition 2022 – I Belong
Bella Moulden is a multi-talented instrumentalist, guitarist, and producer. The Buffalo, New York native currently lives in Belmont, North Carolina. Her music is a blend of funk, rock, pop, and R&B. Bella describes her as “genre-less.” Bella’s talent is undeniable. You’ll remember seeing her on social media, from her double-neck Eastwood Guitar to her colorful retro ‘70s fashion sense, gorgeous big curly hair, and orange sunglasses. Bella is a guitar-wielding goddess. She loves writing music and telling stories, and she plans on showing a lot more vulnerability in her music reasonably soon. Outside of music, Bella is an avid gamer and reader. She loves thrifting and collecting Star Wars and Marvel Comics merch. Her favorite musical is Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and she is obsessed with ‘80s movies. Bella sat down with Guitar Girl Magazine to share how she uses her passion for music to connect with others around her.
Tell us a little about your musical background; how old were you when you started playing guitar, and what inspired your passion for music?
I started playing guitar at 15, and I am currently 21. I started with the piano and singing around 9, percussion at 12, ukulele at 14, and bass at 19. I am open to learning more instruments; I can never learn enough. I intend on learning at least 20 in my lifetime. I genuinely wish I knew the origin of my passion. My family doesn’t sing or play anything; I’m the anomaly. I would sit in the corner at any family event or simply sneak away with my Disney Princess stereo to listen to music and sing to it. It was just something that made me happy. At that point, my family saw something and put me in lessons for piano and singing. We moved for the first time after that, so I just began teaching myself from then on. I didn’t have any interest in lessons again. My parents supported that decision and have been the biggest supporters of my career ever since.
What inspires you to wake up every day and continue pursuing your dreams?
I wake up and think, “Hey, this is what I’m going to make today,” and that’s about it. I just know it makes me happy. Perhaps that’s what inspires me then, the result of being happy. The simple fact that I have the time to pursue my dreams is something I never wish to take for granted. Music is everything to me, and it’s meant for me; as much as I’m meant for it, I like to think.
Take us through your songwriting process. What types of environments do you feel you need to be your most creative?
I am pretty fluid. I can be creative in any environment. The gears of creativity in my head are entirely independent of my environment, which sometimes gets me into trouble. It’s really inconvenient when you’re in the middle of working your tedious retail job or an online lecture, and suddenly you create a song idea. The whole time I’m just thinking about the idea instead of doing what I’m supposed to! My ideal place, though, is where I have the freedom to bring my ideas to life in my bedroom. I sit on the floor before my bed, write, and play in my worst posture. It’s worth it, though.
What guitars are you playing right now?
My 4/6 double-neck from Eastwood named Orthus; I named it after a two-headed dog in Greek mythology, though it’s two necks and not two heads. My love for dogs makes me biased. I received Orthus as a gift from my family because I used to stack my guitars on top of each other to play them simultaneously. It always put a lot of weight on my back, and it was much harder to get around — then behold, Orthus! It makes it easier when alternating between bass and electric, which is the coolest. I may decide to get another custom double-neck; I mean, I do want one, but Orthus is irreplaceable!
My second would be my purple guitar from Jackson named Prince Hendrix. This guitar was also a gift; it was my first electric guitar that was not previously owned. Also, the guitar I had to experience was stacked on top of my bass guitar, Khaleesi.
Finish this sentence: I believe music…
has the potential to change the world.