Nicole Belanus
Nicole Belanus, a promising acoustic/pop singer & songwriter based in Williamsburg, Virginia, has won the March SingerUniverse “Best Vocalist Of The Month” Competition, for her performance of her song “These Wounds". This song was featured on her first album Notes On Paper, which she released independently in 2009. Belanus has also released a second album called Tune My Heart, which came out last December (2011).
“These Wounds” is a graceful, heartfelt acoustic ballad which is pleasant to listen to. The song provides a fine showcase for Belanus' clear, expressive vocals. The music arrangement presents a nice balance of piano and acoustic guitar, and there are good harmonies in the chorus. "These Wounds" was skillfully produced by Belanus, who plays guitar, some piano and percussion on this cut. Belanus worked with recording engineer Billy Ricketts on this album, which was recorded at his home studio.
Belanus was born in Michigan, and she moved with her family (because her father was in the Navy) to many locations on the East Coast, and she spent her middle school years living in Japan. She grew up listening to Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, the Mamas & Papas, and more recently Patty Griffin. Belanus learned to play guitar and piano early on, but interestingly, her main instrument for many years was oboe. She studied classical music in high school and in college (at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI).
Nicole Belanus performing live.
After graduating from college, Belanus began focusing on playing guitar and writing songs. In 2009 she recorded and released her first album, Notes On Paper, which contained 10 of her original songs. Belanus subsequently won a regional event called the Sea Level Songwriting Competition, for which she performed her song, "Home."
In 2010 Belanus promoted her debut album by performing live shows (mostly solo) and making radio appearances. Then in 2011 she began writing and recording songs for her second album, Tune My Heart. "There are 11 songs on my new album--it's a faith-based album, with songs which are more inspirational and uplifting," explained Belanus. "The feedback has been good; I'm happy to see that people are embracing the album and listening to it."
Currently, Belanus has been promoting her new album and performing more live shows. "The past few years, I've been focusing on my music," she said. "I want to push myself to do as much as I can musically--playing live and touring beyond the Virginia area. I also want to meet more musicians, and I'm looking for a manager to work with."
No comments:
Post a Comment