In the lounge room of his mate’s house, Trent Bell grabs the hairbrush and without fear, begins to belt out the Australian National Anthem. While the other kids in the street are singing along to the likes of the Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys, this somewhat patriotic experience has since led Bell all over the world to develop his unique singing style. Originally hailing from Werribee, as he sits on his hotel bed in Adelaide while on the promotional tour for his new single Limitless, a smile creeps over Bell’s face as we begin to chat about the journey so far.
It can be an experience to hinder or nurture a career and as Matt Corby puts it, going on Australian Idol was an experience that he now to a certain extent regrets. Bell believes that his time on X Factor allowed him to experience things that he never otherwise would have got to.
“I auditioned for X Factor in Brisbane up at Southbank there and I went four years running. The first time I didn’t get through, the next year I got into Bootcamp, the next I went to LA with Guy Sebastian and fulfilled a lifelong goal of meeting Beyonce and the next I got into the live shows and right towards the tail end of the competition,” he says.
“I think that the publicity and support you get from everyone involved is second to none. When you make it onto the live shows, the producers have quite a say in what you perform and what you wear – yet you are still able to maintain creative control of how you present yourself as a musician. It’s hard to imagine my career without X Factor, it was so beneficial in helping me get to where I am today.”
There is something quintessentially Australian in hearing Barnsy belt out ‘Khe Sahn’ or the whispering Jack himself singing ‘You’re the Voice’ and it was upon hearing those records played around the house that ignited the energy for Bell to perform.
Having just released his debut single ‘Limitless’, Bell is set to hit both metropolitan and regional centres to get everyone amped about it. “That song was written with MSquared productions which is Michael Paynter and Michael Delorenzis. We wrote that song in Pascoe Vale of all places and it’s about believing in yourself and the skies the limit basically. I’ve always wanted to write a song called limitless and I am really happy with how it has turned out. I’m looking forward to releasing an EP or an album early next year so be sure to keep an eye out.”
An essential part of being a musician in 2016, Bell is extremely active on social media regularly posting acoustic covers from his little home studio setup. He recently covered Zayn Malik’s track ‘Pillowtalk’, which has been getting excessive airplay on commercial radio, yet Bell sees this as the gateway to introducing new fans to his own original music.
“It’s really fun to be able to play some acoustic covers and people are constantly always wanting to hear songs that they know. If you can make your own interpretations of popular songs, people are going to soon discover your own original music. It also helps develop you as a musician. I can’t wait to see what the future holds and get the EP out there for everyone to hear,” he says.
Written by Tex Miller
When & Where: Market Square Shopping Centre, Geelong – May 13