With a host of hits to her name, Kaylee Bell is based for part of each year in Nashville. Last year, she opened for Ed Sheeran’s six Mathematics tour concerts in NZ and also won a coveted US Country Music Award for Global Country Artist. Bell’s latest album, Nights Like This, will be released on March 15 followed by a nationwide tour.
You first performed in public at the Regent Theatre in Waimate when you were just 4 years old, so presumably your parents supported your creative ambitions. Were they also musicians?
Dad worked for the local council and Fonterra, and was also a volunteer fireman for 52 years, and Mum just loved music. She did Highland dance and played piano and sang in choirs. She was never one of those pushy parents, but anything we showed an interest in, she’d help to give us every opportunity. Whether it was sport or music, or taking us around New Zealand to sing at talent quests, Mum gave so much of herself to us.
What drew you to country music?
I just loved it. I grew up during that golden era for women in country music, with Shania Twain, Faith Hill and Trisha Yearwood. I started lessons in Timaru with Sheryl Higgs when I was eight. Sheryl was only about 21, and for me to see her singing on stage with her guitar, which she did every weekend, she was so influential to my story.
You experienced a major health scare when you were 16. How did that shape your outlook on life?
I had peritonitis from a burst appendix, and it was really serious. So when I woke up, I decided I needed to stop being so shy and do what I’d been put on this Earth to do.
You won the New Zealand Gold Guitar Award at just 18. How did that change things?
It was like a big box had been ticked, giving me a feeling of reassurance I was on the right path, that music was something I could do with my life.
What were your goals upon leaving school?
I’d actually enrolled to study PE in Dunedin, because I love sports and I would’ve enjoyed being a physio. But that same week, I got into Nasda [the National Academy of Singing and Dramatic Art at the Ara Institute of Canterbury] to do a degree in performing arts. Even though I knew I’d emerge after three years with no set career, I chose performance.
Performing arts courses can be tough on students. What was your experience?
It was brutal at times, but it also set me up for a life in the music industry. Every six weeks, we’d perform in front of the whole school, which was terrifying. But being taken so far outside my comfort zone and being publicly critiqued was so important for my growth and it taught me how to analyse my own performance. It was also amazing to see everyone come on in leaps and bounds.
You’ve described yourself as having quite a shy side. How do you manage that when performing to massive crowds?
Even though I’ve done some pretty big shows, like opening for Ed Sheeran in stadiums of maybe 80,000 people, I certainly don’t love being the centre of attention. I prefer to sit and listen and learn, but my shyness has decreased as I’ve got older and I care less about what people think. But I still have moments when I know I’m being shy and I consciously work to overcome it. I also know I don’t always have to be on, as it’s really important to be able to turn that stage thing off; to be able to flick that switch and give yourself time to reset.
You’re the most streamed female country music star in Australasia. You’re also doing exceedingly well globally. What are the fans like?
The best thing we did on our last New Zealand tour were these two-hour meet-and-greets, and the young people blew us away. For me, growing up here and not hearing country artists on the radio, I feel a lot of responsibility to represent the genre. It’s amazing to see young kids here loving country music the way I did.
How do you come down after a gig or a tour?
The Ed Sheeran tour was a crash course in self-care, and exercise has always been really important. I’ve trained with [boxer and former rugby league star] Monty Betham for some years and he’s an important mentor in terms of physical and mental strength. His approach to exercise is, when you do it, ask why you are doing it, and some days give yourself permission to rest.
Taking a punt on Nashville is a bold move for a young Kiwi musician. How did you navigate the global capital of country music?
I was 21 when I went to Nashville. The first time, I went for a month with no idea what I was getting myself into. I was so naive. I thought my accommodation was close to town, and it was, but you definitely couldn’t walk those streets. Over that month, I was introduced to people who introduced me to other people, and it immediately felt like the place I was meant to be.
To what extent do you base yourself there?
I’ve been going back and forth for 14 years. Every year, I’d save money, book a one-way ticket, sleep on people’s couches and stay till my money ran out. But I have an apartment there now that I share with two Australian artists who I consider family. Because, for all the good things, Nashville can also be the most brutal place on Earth. Even though it has this amazing anything-is-possible feeling, you’ve still got to have your feet on the ground and your eyes wide open.
Your partner stays in New Zealand while you spend time offshore. How do you make that work?
Nick [Campbell] was in a band called Midnight Youth, and he’s really musical, and so clever. We’ve been together seven years and he runs my band here. They work so hard, and no matter what we’re doing, we look after each other, because we’re growing this thing together. I’m also lucky that Nick understands the sacrifices musicians have to make, how I have to be where the opportunities are.
How do you shore yourself up against post-tour blues?
That sadness is real and it is the worst. So when I feel that, the best thing to do is to ring my mum because she gives the best advice. Then, at the end of our conversation, she’ll say, “Right, well on to the next thing,” and I’m like, “Right, on to the next thing.”
