Exclusive interview: Amy Belle

Amy Belle rose to world fame in 2004 when she sang "I Don't Want To Talk About It" with Rod Stewart at London's Royal Albert Hall. A performance that captivated the crowd. The YouTube video has already garnered over a billion views. But then things went quiet for the Scottish singer. Amy Belle is now back and spoke exclusively with STORYTELLER about her performance with Sir Rod and the trajectory of her career. Amy shared many personal insights.

ST: 2004 was your big moment: the performance with Rod Stewart at the Royal Albert Hall that made you world famous in one fell swoop. With many years in between: In retrospect, was this evening more beneficial or more of a hindrance to your own career?

AB: My performance with Sir Rod Stewart at The Royal Albert Hall in October 2004 was a very special moment for me and although I had already had some success with 2 recording contracts by the age of 23, this one performance enabled me to travel to the U.S.A and work with some incredible producers and at that point I signed with Epic Records in New York.

ST: Tell me how the performance came about. How did Rod become aware of you and how did it all go until you were on stage with him?

AB: It all came about because Rob Dickins, who was the boss of Dharma Records where I had my solo recording contract following Alice Band failure was and is a great friend of Sir Rod’s and his manager. He had heard that this concert was to take place and knew that the similarity of Sir Rods and my own start to music as buskers would make a great story. Sir Rod very cleverly introduced me that night as ’someone who he has recently been introduced to’. At the time I had moved back to Glasgow from London and was busking again and playing on the pub circuit.

ST: How much did the performance with Rod Stewart change you as a person?

AB:  It is difficult for me to assess how much that one performance changed me as a person - I don’t really believe that it did. It certainly was the catalyst which lead to other life changing events!

ST: After you worked with some of the greats of the music scene, such as Chris Martin (Coldplay), Neil Young, Robert Plant, the Pretenders, and Bob Dylan, you then withdrew from the limelight. Afraid of your own courage, maybe it all went too fast for you?

AB: I am not sure where these names have come from, Unfortunately, I never worked with any of those people!! In 2014 I was in a band called Nugent and Belle with my old former band mate from Alice Band Audrey Nugent, we supported Robert Plant on the UK leg of his tour in London, Glasgow, Birmingham and Dublin. We also supported Rodriguez on his European tour around the same time. I did share a dressing room with Chrissie Hynde at The Royal Albert Hall show, she was so friendly and kind to me (we shared a whisky and talked about Glasgow) and I remember this as one of the most poignant moments of that evening. The Alice Band played at various festivals where Neil Young and Bob Dylan also played but that’s as far as that goes, I’m afraid! I’ve never met Chris Martin sadly. 

After the Royal Albert Hall, I went to the U.S. Sir Rods manager took me on and I worked with some great producers and song writers such as The Matrix Music and Kara Dioguardi before finding a great fit with John Shanks, we went on to write and record somewhere in the region of 30 songs together in L.A. This was one of the happiest times of my life. Being in the studio day after day, I had never written so fluently and it all came very easily and naturally. At that time I signed to Epic Records and spent a lot of time in America.

After a year or so it all fizzled out - I didn’t fit in the pop box that they envisaged and, even though the songs were great, I think my image was not saleable. The music industry as it was then and I think probably still is is a harsh environment and difficult to navigate unless you a business like mind and savvy character. I was very naive and just enjoying the ride!!

So, I came home to the U.K and went back to playing live in the pubs and busking for a living. To be honest, looking back, I am glad that I never knew any significant fame, I love my quiet life now, living and making music on my own terms and spending time with my family. 

ST: After starting your family and a long break, you're back. What encouraged you to try again in the music business?

AB: Some time after moving to London with my future husband, I discovered that Audrey was living close by, we got together for fun at first but then the songs we made were so good, we were very close and spent a lot of time together, we started our band Nugent and Belle. We recorded our album Seeing Stars independently with K.T Tunstall's then husband in their home studio and went on the road… At the same time I was doing some work managing the rental properties of friends in London (just looking after the tenants and fixing issues etc) for some extra income when I met an architect who offered me a job as a project manager for his studio. This was my dream job - buildings have always been a passion of mine, I am the chief decorator and odd job man in our house!! So I took this job and spent the next 8 years happily helping clients of the studio with their renovation projects. N&B split up very soon after I started my 9-5 and this was quite a traumatic event - I put my guitar away for a long time. The only song I wrote in 8 years was on the birth of my niece. 

We moved from the city out to the suburbs when I was 5 months pregnant with my second daughter, by this time the project management job had changed so much there really wasn’t a place for me there anymore. Not long after she was born I came across a small pub nearby and randomly decided to play the open mic night. The reception I got there was so wonderful, I was hooked on music again!! I have to say that I am not interested in the music business - I just want to sing. 

ST: You've returned to your musical roots. What is the focus of the "new" Amy now—musically and personally?

AB:  I certainly have returned to my roots!!! Just me and my guitar. The only focus I had until quite recently was to make a living from singing. I don’t often check my messages on FaceBook (as you know!) but I saw this one message from a guy in Norway asking if I would like to organise a tour there. At the time I was working at a horrible office job ( I only lasted 4 months!! It was truly dreadful) and I jumped at the chance having always wanted to see that country and when he said he could reliably book me 4 shows a month for the next year it was ideal. I’m now making the same monthly wage as I was in that nasty office working 40 hours a week and not seeing my children so it’s a win win. I have spent a lot of time in Germany and The Netherlands and have some great contacts there as well as my very dear friends whom you’ve spoken with so I will always come back, the audiences there are so appreciative and I find it like coming home. However I feel that the Scandinavian venture might be the start of something special and I’m excited for the future! 

ST: Looking back: If you had the chance to start again, what would you perhaps do differently today?

AB: Nothing. Really, nothing. Not that I believe I did everything right, far from it but I do believe that everything happens for a reason. The people we meet and who leave us and the events and experiences we live through are what makes us who we are. I’m not perfect but I’ve worked pretty hard for this person I am and I wouldn’t disrespect my past by wanting to change that - Im happy for the future to make me who I will be.

ST: Are you still in contact with Sir Rod, and did you meet again after your joint performance?

AB:  Funny story - a singer songwriter got in touch with me last year as she had written a duet which she thought would be perfect for Sir Rod and I to sing, it just so happened that this was around the time of the 20th anniversary of the concert, she asked the same question and my response was I have never heard from him since that night. In fact we only spoke to each other 3 times! She asked if it was possible to look up my old contacts from that time with the proposition of doing her song and although I was initially hesitant to do that, I thought, what the hell - what’s the harm in trying? So I did. And nothing happened, ha!

ST: You'll be playing several concerts in Germany, the Netherlands, and Scandinavia in the coming months. What can attendees look forward to?

AB: I know what I look forward to! Playing a mix of my own songs and some of my favourite covers. Something happens to me when I perform, it’s hard to explain without sounding pretentious. I do know that my voice is better than it has ever been. I make a lot of mistakes when I’m playing which I used to find very annoying but I have now made my peace with it. I think that even with all the time in the world to practice I would still mess up so it’s just a part of the show now. I think people will see a real person with a big voice and a deep love of music - I always enjoy when people have only known me from that one performance 20 years ago, scared little girl, shaking. I get to show them who I really am.