Just this past weekend the Inner West’s own Bella Taylor Smith was crowned as the latest winner of The Voice following her spine-tingling performance of the song Never Enough from The Greatest Showman. Speaking to the Inner West Independent less than 24 hours later Bella spoke about the emotional moment she heard the announcement and how the Inner West arts community helped to foster passion for music at an early age.
Given that we spoke to Bella so soon after the finding out that she was The Voice winner for 2021 Bella was “still in a bit of shock” but also “incredibly thankful to everyone who supported and voted.” This sense of shock was heightened by the fact that this season of the show went by incredibly quickly, largely due to format changes in line with COVIDsafe regulations.
“I think it was tough for us to sit back and watch because we just blinked and the show had happened,” Bella explained when speaking about watching the finale. Despite this Bella looks back on the experience with immense joy, “the format was really nice for us as artists in the filming process. It didn’t feel super rushed at all.”
Heading into the finale Bella was confident but also knew any of the finalist could easily walk away as winners.
“I really had no idea if I was going to win, especially after how incredibly well everyone did in the semifinals,” Bella said. “The top four artists this year were so awesome and all had really individual artistry.”
Once the announcement was made and Bella found out that she had won she says she rapidly went through a range of emotions, “firstly it was complete surprise then it was joy… it was completely overwhelming.”
Obviously winning The Voice is an incredible achievement and one which doesn’t happen overnight. So we wanted to speak to Bella about her upbringing in the Inner West to find out how the area had impacted her passion for music.
“I think we have an awesome live music scene here in Sydney, particularly in the Inner West, which I’ve missed so greatly over the COVID period,” Bella said before expanding on how her church had been central to this entire journey. “My church has really been the biggest contributor to my love of music… having that community has really been invaluable for me.”
Given her love for the Inner West’s live music scene Bella says she has only one requirement for a live performance venue once she can safely return to the stage again, “I just want to perform anywhere where there’s people!”
Until then Bella simply wanted to say to her new fans, “Thank you. I can’t wait to meet you guys, share the love and say hello. I am so excited to continue this experience with all of your love and encouragement.”
