Chat with Darrel Belle (Belly)

During my time as a musician I have written and performed so many original songs in and outside of the band that i cannot even recall the exact number. However recording them is something that i only started doing recently. Clearly Covid 19 has had its up side as well. Being 37 years old i still use my trusty note pad and pen. Electronic devices and I don’t mix. I am currently working on a number of tracks simultaneously for the band and also as an individual artist.

I began participating in musical productions and with theatre companies here in Australia as i was finishing secondary school and joined the army soon after. Upon return from the army I performed in various Mauritian bands including Jaspora and Zilwa Tribes. However my greatest achievement musically has got to be forming and running The Push Reggae Band alongside my good Seychellois friend Daniel Gabriel. Running 10years strong here in Melbourne playing all major festivals and night spots.

My childhood was quite a memorable one. I grew up in a typical Seychellois house hold in the district of Les Mamelles. On weekends we would spend all day by the river or fishing by the sea. Like many youngsters of that time i rode my bike and caught the bus everywhere. We we were lucky to grow up in a country where we had our mobility and independence from a young age. Manman Kreol Papa Kreol komdir Jahkim. This means picnic on the beach or at granmers house every weekend. My passion for music stretches back further than i can remember. I am the only musician in my family so therefore my inspirations have come from far and wide. Being a teenager in the 90’s ragga was everything. Chaka Demus and Pliers ruled. Hiphop and rap was and still is a massive influence for me. However one day i discovered reggae and the rest is history. Since moving to Australia at the young age of 17 i began to explore more and more Jamaican popular music. My biggest influences are Bob Marley, Steel Pulse, Aswad, Black Uhuru and Midnite. I’m all about conscious reggae for woke people.

Belly the artist is on the rise. Watch this space….