fiona-lee

Spotlight!: Fiona-Lee

/ James Fenney

Navigating that transitional period from your teenage years into adulthood comes with a lot of upheaval and uncertainty. There’s a million and one stupid mistakes we’d love to take back, painful encounters we long to forget, inner voices we’d love to silence, and moments where we felt completely lost and out of our depth. All this metamorphosis comes at a time in our lives when our emotions burn at their brightest. Loving deeper, grieving harder, our anxiety at its most paralyzing; all of it swirling around at once. With it being such a pivotal time in shaping who we are as people, emotions which are felt this fiercely deserve to be expressed with the same level of passion. All across her debut EP, Yorkshire singer/songwriter Fiona-Lee finds strength in vulnerability. The candour of her lyricism confronting insecurities out in the open to rob them of their power, her voice resonating with meaning across moments of tenderness, ferocity and everything inbetween. Continue reading →

Belwood Music Awards 2024

/ James Fenney

You join us for a very special 10th anniversary edition of our annual Belwood Music Awards. As of today the site has championing music for a whole decade, with 2024 being our most record breaking year yet! The most heartfelt of thanks to everyone that has supported the site over the years, from all the gifted artists creating the music we cover to our regular readers doing their bit to support up and coming talent. There’s much to raise a glass to today – to 10 years of Belwood, to the new year, and to the best musical moments of 2024. Continue reading →

Top Tracks: Fiona-Lee – Nothing Compares To Nineteen

/ James Fenney

It’s said that everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about – and all too often, it remains unknown. We struggle to find the words to describe what we’re feeling, are afraid to risk letting our defences down in the hope of finding a sympathetic ear, and wonder if anyone will truly understand the pain we’re feeling. Drawing a line between a conversation with her father about how “boys didn’t talk about feelings“, and the loss of a dear friend who took his own life, Fiona-Lee resolves to be open with her own struggles with anxiety and depression on her new single ‘Nothing Compares To Nineteen’. The track feels like a much needed and welcome push towards asking for help when you need it, rather than suffering in silence. Fiona’s frank and insightful lyricism manages to walk the line between being as intimate and confessional as a diary entry, while at the same time as real and down-to-earth as a conversation with a friend. All that is paired with emphatic drums and light breezy guitar work that spirals ever faster, ensuring her battles ring out loud and clear, and building more of that anthemic Sam Fender-esque sound that we’ve come to know and love.

Top Tracks: Fiona-Lee – Mother

/ James Fenney

The best art offers a window into the artist. Some insight into how they see the world, what drives them, or into all the pain, or joy, or what have you, swirling just beneath the surface that gets channelled into the art they create. And much as a window may appear as a small portal containing an entire world beyond, occasionally you come across a song that manages to feel somehow bigger on the inside. With her debut single ‘Mother’, Fiona-Lee not only offers a glimpse directly into a towering tumultuous hurricane of frustration, fear, anger and defiance, but also corrals it into shape in order to capture a entire story within the fleeting runtime. Inspired by her experiences with a dubious and controlling former manager, the track begins as a wavering cry for help, a sense of helplessness and isolation, before the driving beat kicks in as the pain and frustration begins to boil over. The energy and passion continue to build, empowered by white hot ire, all culminating in a raw and cathartic climax reminiscent of Sam Fender at his best. In pouring so much of her heart and her experiences into the track, this incandescent debut single shows a clear picture of Fiona-Lee; a fiercely talented artist with a bright future ahead.