A Chat with Adrielle Bow Belle (21.07.26)
Embracing the realm of RnB, New York-based musician Adrielle Bow Belle blends cinematic production with precise, honest narratives. We speak with this singer-songwriter about her new album, Freeze, what music means to her, upcoming plans and more.
OSR: Cliche, but what drew you to music? What inspired you to become a musician? Was it a dream or something you decided later on?
Adrielle Bow Belle: Music was the first place where I felt like I could express myself without having to explain everything. I did not always have the language for what I was feeling, but singing made those feelings make sense. It was never a later decision. It was always the dream.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Adrielle Bow Belle: Music is where I go when I need clarity. It helps me understand what is happening around me and inside me. It is the space where I can be honest without having to simplify anything.
OSR: You recently released your album Freeze, and mention it was written across six years of escalating crisis. How did it come about? I mean, did you write a song per year, and why did you choose to approach these subjects of social injustice?
Adrielle Bow Belle: Freeze came together slowly. I was not writing one song per year. I was writing through moments that felt heavy or confusing or frightening, and over time I realized those moments were connected. The subjects were already part of daily life, and writing was how I tried to understand them. The album grew out of lived experience rather than a planned concept.
OSR: I know we’ve just asked about approaching the issues of injustice, but what more can you tell us about Freeze?
Adrielle Bow Belle: Freeze is a seven-movement cycle about how fear settles into the body and memory. Some movements focus on national tension, some on personal moments, some on childhood, and some on the world at large. They are all connected by the feeling of trying to move through uncertainty and still find a way forward. It is a quiet album, but it carries a lot.
OSR: What do you find more challenging: writing lyrics or the melody?
Adrielle Bow Belle: Lyrics. Writing the lyrics is the most rewarding for me as well, since I consider myself primarily a songwriter. The melody typically comes naturally, but it is usually secondary to the story. The difficulty lies in knowing that the lyrics have to hold the emotional truth of the song. I spend a lot of time making sure the words feel honest.
OSR: After listening to Freeze, what do you hope people take from it? Also, what does Freeze mean to you?
Adrielle Bow Belle: I hope people feel seen in the quieter parts of their own fear or hesitation. Freeze is about the moments we do not always talk about. The ones where you are trying to stay steady even when things feel uncertain. For me, it is a record about endurance, and about naming the things we carry so they do not stay hidden.
OSR: Is Freeze a representation of where you currently are as a person and musician?
Adrielle Bow Belle: Looking at it from the melody and representation of the theme. Yes. Freeze reflects the way I think and feel right now. It is patient, intentional, and honest. It represents the kind of work I want to keep making. Music that takes its time and does not shy away from difficult emotions.
OSR: If you could go back to speak to a younger Adrielle Bow Belle, what advice would you give her?
Adrielle Bow Belle: I would tell her not to rush herself. The things she thinks are strange or too specific will become her strength. I would tell her to trust her voice, even when it feels quiet.
OSR: Live performances are life-changing moments. What is your most memorable gig to date and why that one?
Adrielle Bow Belle: There was a performance where the room went completely still during a soft section. That kind of silence feels rare. It is the moment where you know people are really listening, and it stays with you.
OSR: If you had to introduce your music to a new listener, what song would you recommend?
Adrielle Bow Belle: ‘Icey Roads’. It opens the album and sets the tone for everything that follows. It is the clearest way into the world of Freeze. To get to the core of my emotional truth as an artist, I would say ‘Bunker’ captures my personal essence the most, and why I became passionate about the human experience and social justice in the first place.
OSR: What can we expect from you in the future?
Adrielle Bow Belle: More music that takes its time. More projects that explore memory and emotion. Freeze is the start of a larger path for me, and I am excited to keep building on it.
Many thanks to Adrielle Bow Belle for speaking with us. Find out more about Adrielle Bow Belle on her Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, SoundCloud and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
