Bella Hardy

Bella Hardy

Bella Hardy is an English contemporary folk musician, singer and songwriter from Edale in Derbyshire, in the United Kingdom. Born Arwen Arabella Hardy in 1984, she works in folk music and is associated with English and British folk traditions.

Early life and first performances

Hardy grows up singing and develops in a place with a strong communal singing culture. She plays fiddle in a small way at school and, at 13, attends a Folkworks Youth Summer School in Durham, where she is motivated to focus on folk fiddle and meets several future musical companions.

As a teenager she performs in several line-ups, including The Pack and Ola. The Pack begins as a group of friends who initially come together partly to obtain free festival tickets. It grows into a 12-piece band known for energetic performances and complex arrangements. The group plays major folk stages, including the main stage at Cambridge Folk Festival in 2003.

Early recordings and BBC recognition

The Pack releases its only album, 12 Little Devils, in 2002. Hardy reaches the final of the BBC Young Folk Awards in 2004, before establishing herself as a solo artist.

Solo career

Hardy’s debut solo album, Night Visiting, appears in 2007 and brings her wider recognition as a leading figure in modern folk music. The album receives strong critical notice. Mojo gives it a four-star “Brilliant” rating, fRoots describes Hardy as a major emerging voice in the folk revival, and Taplas Magazine praises the album’s beauty and inventive writing.

In 2008 she is nominated for the Horizon Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. She is also nominated for Best Original Song for Three Black Feathers, a song later recorded by Jim Moray on his 2008 album Low Culture.

Her second solo album, In The Shadow of Mountains, follows in 2009 and is launched at the Cambridge Folk Festival. It also receives critical praise, with English Dance and Song Magazine highlighting the sophistication of her songwriting.