Bellah (singer)

Isobel Akpobire, known professionally as Bellah, is a British singer, songwriter, and actress.

Early life and career beginnings
Akpobire was born in Enfield, North London. She grew up as an only child to a single mother and lived with her uncles who influenced her musical tastes by playing 1990s R&B, such as Destiny's Child and SWV.

After participating in musical theatre from the age of four, she undertook her first studio session at age 10, recording a cover of Be Without You by Mary J. Blige.

She found a management team after being spotted at a local festival that she performed at after having sung Beyoncé's Flawless at a school talent show.

Career
After five years of artist development, Akpobire released her debut EP called Last Train Home in 2019. The debut single released from the EP was Never Loved and this was made Track of the Week by BBC Radio 1Xtra.

This was followed by the release of In the Meantime and The Art of Conversation in 2020, the second of which was released by London-based independent record label Marathon Artists.

Akpobire's music reached a wider audience in 2021 when she performed her single Evil Eye on the ColorsxStudios platform.

In 2022, Akpobire made her debut performance at Wireless Festival. In the same year she released her third EP Adultsville, which was executive produced by Grammy Award winner Ari PenSmith.

Akpobire was nominated for Best R&B/Soul Act at the MOBO Awards in 2023 and she was nominated for Best New International Act at the BET Awards in 2024.

In 2024, Akpobire starred as the character Kyazike Mayagenda in the British television series Queenie. The show aired on Channel 4 and Hulu in June 2024.

Personal life
Akpobire suffers from sickle cell disease and used her single Cause U Can to help raise awareness of the disease.