Interview with BELLEFIRE

Bellefire are being touted as the next Corrs - comprised of two sisters and a "surrogate sister", they perfectly live up to the stereotype of multi-instrumentalist Southern Irish songstresses; singing honey-sweet-harmony pop songs.

The girls have been together four years, ever since the fateful day that Ciara met Kelly in the queue to audition for an Irish 'Abba-type band', pre-Popstars project. It was both girls first audition experience, and, each finding a kindred spirit, the pair immediately hit it off. Within minute of meeting, Ciara invited Kelly back to her house for dinner. There, Kelly met Cathy, and the three girls bonded over their love of music and desire to make it in the business - on their own terms. That's why they returned to the auditions the next day, this time armed with the songs they'd worked on the night before. "We went back, but we really didn't want to be in an Abba-band so we suggested they send the boys home", remembers Ciara, "And they did!" Her sister takes up the story. "We'd brought along instruments, which surprised them - they were looking for Steps!"

They may have been looking for an Irish Steps, but when Louise Walsh heard Cathy, Ciara and Kelly, that idea went out the window. He introduced the girls to Tara, a singer he was working with at the time, and in April 2000, the newly formed foursome were signed to Virgin. Virign put out two Bellefire singles, which both reached the UK top 20; their cover of U2's All I Want Is You going double platinum in Ireland. In 2003 the girls left Virgin and amicably parted company with Tara." She decided her heart wasn't in it", explains Ciara. "She's working in fashion now, which is what she really wanted to do." But the Bellefire story was far from over and the trio were soon snapped up by East West Records.

Their debut single ('Say Something Anyway') on their new label was released this week, and we caught up with them at a special acoustic showcase just before the release. 

TM: Hello there, pleased to meet you. So, I'd heard that you got your break by turning up at a set of auditions that Louis Walsh was in charge of, and basically taking over?

Bellefire: Yes, we hatched a plan to take over the whole auditions, and it worked! I think he liked the fact that we'd got a whole routine and set of songs together; we did like a variety of different numbers, and we didn't just do pop song either, we did traditional Irish songs as well.

He's been in charge of a lot of bands, he's worked with a lot of bands, he also knows that it's really important to get the right kind of chemistry in a band. He knows there's no point putting together a band that won't get on. The fact that we'd already found each other and knew each other was great.

TM: You are obviously all very musical; do you think Irish background contributes to your musicality?

Bellefire: Ireland is such a musical country; up until recently it has never been a very rich country either.

So our parents would have had no shoes, hardly anything you know. So there's no TV, no radios you just had to entertain yourselves, so I think that's where the music comes down from.

From parents to kids, just the love of music.

At every family gathering there is music!

TM: You seem to gel well together too?

I think we've been through a lot together, you know. We've had the highs and lows together. And now we've made an album that we really love together, and we are really proud of.

We are just enjoying it right now, this time.

Also, we've been afforded the opportunity to actually take the time out to make the album the way that we wanted. Last time it was very different because we didn't actually expect to go over to Japan (on tour) so soon, we'd just released a single in the UK, and we heard that the single had really taken off so we were told to go over there and promote.

They wanted an album out and three months was the deadline!

We had to pick up whatver songs we had started and put them together, and you always think, you know, it could have been better if we'd have spent a little bit longer, and we didn't have that deadline.

This time we had a lot more time to write, and you can really hear the difference.

TM: What should we expect from this new album then?

Bellefire: A lot of people have said that they are hearing influences of people like Jewel, Fleetwood Mac, and on Irish radio we are getting compared to the Corrs.

Of course we don't intentionally set out to do that. We sing the way we sing, and when you've got three vocalists what are you going to do? You are going to harmonize, that's the natural way we sing.

TM: Would you prefer not to be associated with the Corrs then?

Bellefire: No - they are friends of ours!

TM: How do you define your own music?

Bellefire: We want it to be timeless. And just really good songs. Just timeless production with good vocals. OK, great vocals! (They laugh). Outstanding vocals!

We would want to create something that we would all like to go out and buy in the shops. We all have different influences, but we all agree on what we want to do.

We also get a lot of support from our label. When you walk into their office, it's a great atmosphere, and everyone is very nice.

They support their artists to make music - they are not particularly corporate, and...they are not like other labels it seems. Because they actually like music rather than pie-charts!

TM: Do you all club together to write, or go off separately and then regroup?

Bellefire: It kind of works differently for each song. We might come up with the melody we'll bounce lyrical ideas around. Sometimes all of us will go off, have a think and then come back.

Sometimes you just start from scratch all of you and come up with a song. And sometimes they'll be something you were thinking about weeks ago that will just pop up into the song. You never know what you are going to write until you are finished.

We always had a friend who had a studio before, so if we had an idea and there was something in it, we could do a demo, so that was good.

TM: You also play a whole swathe of instruments each, don't you?

Bellefire: Yes, and we have been asked whether we play them at gigs too. The answer is no because it would be really hard to sing and play at the same time. The vocal parts are quite intricate, if you are not singing lead you are singing a harmony. So we are getting a live band together at some stage. We could incorporate the instruments at some stage - like maybe halfway through the song Ciara could break out into a little instrumental in a song. You never know, we might throw a surprise at you.

TM: Do you think that people might see you as pop?

Bellefire: We are pop, but just not cheesy pop, or throwaway pop. We're always confused by the definition of pop. I'd say a lot of rock bands were 'pop' these days.

I would call a lot of U2's music 'pop'. They even called one of their albums 'Pop', albeit ironically. Pop seems to have a certain radio-friendliness to it. There's a signability to it.

TM: Where do you think we are at with music at the moment. You will be releasing your next album at a strange time for the music industry.

Bellefire: Yes, there we were looking at the charts the other day, and there's a lot of...jazz in it.

I think there is really a space for something fresh and new to come out.

The hard thing is you have to get radio play and there's a lot of R&B, and Hip Hop happening at the moment. I think a lot of people are looking for something different to hear. Or what has been classified as formulaic music.

TM: What would you be doing if you weren't doing music?

Bellefire: We all have balanced lives. Like we've got other loves as well as music. I think we kind of driftedinto it really. We started so young, we haven't really thought what we'd do!

You know when you wake up in the morning and that's all you can think about that's something you should pursue. A lot of people settle for not trying things, and thinking 'I can't do that so I won't try'. We just chanced our arm at it, and have been really lucky.

We've just been happy from day one, so as long as we are that's good.

TM: Are you believers in fate?

Bellefire: (En masse) Yes! Have you read the Alchemist? It's great, and it's all about this.

TM: While we are touching on supernatural stuff, do you ever write songs that predict the future?

Bellefire: It either predicts the future or taps into something that was already in your subconscious. Maybe in that way its predicting it, because by pulling it out of your head you end up becoming that thing or enacting it.

TM: What would you like to say to all the Tiscali users?

Bellefire: Erm...look out for the single, and the album (Spin The Wheel, out July). Also check our website for the latest updates www.bellefiremusic.com. We'll obviously be touring with Westlife too, which is exciting.

TM: Do you get on well with Westlife?

Bellefire: Yes, we know them, but we don't go around ringing them up in our spare time or anything. We've done a tour before, 2 years ago, and they are lovely guys. I think when you have the same management there is that extra connection.

Like the guys are really good. I remember we did a show about 2 years ago in London. They all had a day off but they still came down to see us play - even on their day off!

TM: Do they think you are better than them?

Bellefire: No, they have sold millions and millions of records, so we don't think they are scared of us. However, they are obviously in the throes of going through Brian Leaving, and we feel like we have been through all that already with us, what with Tara leaving. Maybe we can give them some advice now!

TM: Thank you for spending some time with us today, and good luck with your new project.

Bellefire: Why thank you...See you soon!