Rising Stars
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Louie Bello
Behind every Akon, Boyz II Men, and T-Pain, there are singer-songwriters like Boston showman Louie Bello. They’re the creative guys who sweat nights away in studios, where they write, record, and catalyze the magic that exalted pop stars take credit for. But despite having had a Sony songwriting contract since he was a teenager, the 28-year-old has always considered himself to be more than just a mention in some CD liner notes. With that mentality, the Hyde Park rhythm-and-blues man rose above the surface in 2007, when he dropped his debut disc, The Bello Project, and chased the release with a slew of Boston shows and television appearances.
With two years between his last disc and the release of My Music last month, Bello spent significant time developing other artists. In addition to penning demos for the likes of Usher, Aubrey O’Day, and Chris Brown, he invested in his trusty sister Lisa, a former Bello back-up diva who shares the bill on his new single “Twisted.”
“The stuff on this album is more about me and my life than anything I’ve done before,” says Bello. “A lot of these songs were actually written for other people, but I took them back since they were so personal.”
While he’ll be making the usual local rounds with the new disc, Bello wants more than mere Boston R&B star status. Things will evolve full circle, he says, but right now, Bello — who recently shot a television pilot with Vincent “Big Pussy” Pastore of Sopranos fame — is looking clear past the Bean. “I’m really not focusing on Boston right now,” he says. “I’m always going to do stuff here, and I think the point is always to get the spotlight back on Boston in the end, but this time it’s about something much bigger.” We hear you, Bello — shoot for the stars, but remember to touch down in Boston from time to time, ok?
