bela

In the artist's words:

bela is a Berlin-based South Korean musician and performance artist who combines elements of traditional pungmul music - a folk art closely linked to social movements - with vocal experiments inspired by death metal and screamo. Bela also draws on old performance practices from dance dramas or shamanistic rituals. Her performances, characterized by bass-heavy distortions and piercing screams, manifest queer rage and grief. The seven tracks on the album Noise and Cries, released in 2024 - five avant-garde sound experiments and two extended, atmospheric compositions - reflect on the precariousness of life in South Korea, queer identity, the loss of relationships and the power of perseverance. bela was nominated for the SHAPE+ Platform 2023-2024 and received an honorable mention at last year's Giga Hertz Award for Electronic Music in the PopExperimental category.