She’s only been on campus for one semester, but Syracuse University already knows her voice. Learn more about Bella Fiske in an exclusive interview with 20 Watts Magazine!

Words By Ciane Lopez / Photos by Malcolm Taylor / Graphic by Maddi Jane Brown

Bella Fiske is a freshman at SU who’s already made a name for herself in the school’s music scene. She has been booked at the DIY venue Mudpit for back-to-back shows, performing live covers and original songs from her debut EP, “Eliot Street,” which released in July. Fiske has a bright future ahead at SU, so 20 Watts Magazine decided to get to know a little bit more about her.

Simple question to start out, what’s your name and major?

My name is Bella Fiske and I am a freshman studying Communications and Rhetorical Studies at VPA.

Where is home for you?

I’m 20 minutes outside of Boston, I’ve grown up in the suburbs outside of the city my whole life. My parents moved us to Milton, MA because of the schools and their language programs.

Back at home, did you play live music and write songs? How did you start with music?

I always tell people that my first open mic was when I was in the 6th grade. I was at the Milton Art Center for open mic night and I sang “Gravity” by Sara Bareilles. I also grew up doing a lot of theater, it’s a big part of my thing, I love being on stage. I’ve also been taking piano lessons since first grade, but as I got older, I started taking the T stop, the Boston transit station. There was one right next to my house. I would take the train on Thursday nights and go to open mics in the city. Even over the summer, I did a five-week program at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where I made a ton of friends and met my current producer. That was a really big step for me with my music at the time.

When choosing SU, was playing music a factor that influenced you to go here? What helped you decide to come here, particularly compared to a music-centered school like Berklee?

I believe it’s really important to be surrounded by different people and to have people with different interests around you. I think we’re really strengthened by the people who surround us at school. It would’ve been overwhelming if I was in a music-exclusive environment and I love getting to know different people. That was a big decision for me, I didn’t want to go to an all-music school too because I have a lot of interests and I wanted more options. I think it's important to meet people who can bring connections outside of music. There’s value in the humanities and I want to learn more about how to market myself and my craft.

How are you adjusting to campus life? What have been some highlights for you so far?

I love, love, love, love it. I couldn’t see myself anywhere else. I’m living up the Mount which isn’t that fun, but I love being with my friends all weekend and throughout the week. And I mean the best moments by far have been playing on stage.

Even though you have only performed here a few times, tell me about those experiences. How does getting such a good reaction from these crowds feel?

Amazing, obviously, but I think it gives me so much energy and excitement to continue. Being on stage is like a drug. I need to be performing. I just love connecting with people in any way and doing that through music is awesome. Even if it's like a basement of sweaty, drunk teenagers, they’re listening and they still give me a shot and I just feel so proud.

I know you have been mainly performing at Mudpit. What are some other venues you look forward to playing in the future?

Well, definitely Redgate, which at the moment is being lined up. On December 1st, I’m opening up for Padma and Sammy [Curcuru] at The Song & Dance which is really, really big because that’s a bigger stage. But I want to play at every venue, I’ll take any opportunity there is.

How has your relationship with your band been? Tell me a little bit about them and how you guys got together.

All of my bandmates are also in other bands and create their own music and they are all so talented. Some of the Bandier sophomores found my music through TikTok in the summer, so eventually, I get a DM from Sammy Curcuru and he’s like, “Oh my god, your music is like off the rails!” A few weeks later, he reaches out to me again and is like, “Do you want to play a show?” I was shocked. The show was within my first two weeks of school. He already found a group of girls: Annie Knobloch, Goldie Singer, and Kiera Walsh. And we ended up FaceTiming a lot over the summer. The first people I met when I got here were Annie and Goldie, my drummer and my bassist.

I’ve noted that the acoustic guitar plays an essential role in your music, both live and studio. Tell me more about your background with guitar.

I am self-taught. I technically learned in middle school, but I got my first real big-girl guitar sophomore year for Christmas and just taught myself from there. The first song I learned was “Coffee” by Beabadoobee.

Getting back to music, where did you draw songwriting inspiration for your debut EP?

The inspiration behind the name, “Eliot Street,” is that the actual Eliot Street was like a two-second walk from my street. It’s a very symbolic place for me. I used to just listen to music and sit on the crosswalk there. And I also tell people, I could literally take you down the street and be like, “This is where this song is.” I always describe it as a love letter to my neighborhood.

Personally, I love your single, “Break.” Can you tell me a little bit about the process behind the song?

So basically I took a break with my girlfriend at the time. And I mean, you can kind of listen and hear how it happens but then I went home and let my emotions out on my bed and then wrote that song.

Is music usually your first response when your emotions are heightened?

Yeah, I think I use music to help process my emotions. I feel as if I don’t get things out of me until I get to write a song, but not all songs have been like that. I'm not just super sad all the time, I swear. But it’s the only thing I can do in that kind of moment.

What has been your favorite song to write and produce off of your EP?

I would say it’s “Long Gone/Think About It.” I think it's very lush and acoustic and the feels come up a lot when thinking back on [those times]. But my all-time favorite might have to be, “Of Light.” It’s like that point you reach with that summer fling and desiring them and wanting their attention, but you know it's not really going to be reciprocated.

That’s an amazing way to put it. You mentioned meeting your producer at Berklee earlier, could you go into more detail about your production process?

When I went to Berklee, I met my producer Lanham Scofield. He produced “Eliot Street” for me. It was a very long process and all over long-distance. I would record something, then send stems over to him, he would add synths and do an electric guitar over some tracks and then do the mixing. Then I get it professionally mastered because I want to make sure my music’s quality reflects the effort I put into it.

So moving forward, what hopes do you have for your musical career? How much do you see yourself creating in the future?

I’m getting ready to release a new single that’s in the works. I just want to keep doing music as much as I can. I tell people all the time, all I want to do is tour. That’s literally like the dream. So I’m gonna keep trying to do what I can to promote myself as much as possible. And the sky’s the limit with that.

To wrap things up, is there anything you want your audience to know about you, your music, or any particular message?

I'm grateful for everyone who listens to my music. And, if anyone gives a shit, I would sit down with them and explain every layer to them of each song. I care so much about that. I'm just amazed that people actually care because I didn't think they were gonna care that much. I was like, 3,000 streams on “Break” after releasing it, that'd be crazy. And then, well, wow.