An exclusive interview of Bela Bay, on the EDM Cave

He started making music when he was a little kid and never lost his fascination for it. Now he is 15 years old and already got two label deals.

-We would like to welcome you to the EDM Cave. We had seen recently your latest release on Alveda Music and we would like to know how did you start as a music producer?

I learned to play multiple instruments when I was a little kid and started producing rap beats and Big Room sounds about eight years ago. A year ago, I fell in love with house music and started officially my career as a house producer.

-Give us some info about your first release?

My first commercial release is called “Tell Me” and got released by Jon Sine’s label “Sine UP” in the summer of 2020. It was not at a good quality level, at least when you compare it to my new releases, but it was a great experience to work with a label for the first time.

-With which labels have you worked on? Is there also any collaboration with other artists coming on?

I worked together with SineUP and now also with Alveda Music. My first collaboration with another artist isn’t released yet but there is one going on. Besides that, I got supported by DJs a few times. The biggest DJ who played one of my songs is Bram Fidder who played my new song “Tears in Paradise” on Sapphire Radio.

-What do you think about your favorite artists and which inspired you most for your latest release?

My favorite artists are Oliver Heldens, HUGEL, and Bram Fidder. They inspire me every day and I love listening to their songs. HUGEL is the guy who inspired me to produce my new track “Tears in Paradise”. I listened to his song “Can’t love myself” and wanted to produce a song that uses acoustic drum kits combined with classic pluck basses. I went to my laptop and searched for some vocals on Splice that may fit. A few weeks later, “Tears in Paradise” was ready for mastering.

-Let’s talk about your dreams and plans for the future?

My dream is to play at a big festival like Tomorrowland at some point in time or to enter Beatport’s charts. These dreams are hard to achieve but it motivates me to keep on pushing with my music. Another big dream would be a collab with the amazing Beck Hill. I love her voice and would like to work with her on one of my songs! My plan for the future is to build a community that can follow me on my journey and supports me while I try to lift my career to another level.

-Which was the first producer that inspired you to join the music production life? Also, explain to us your production process

The artist that got me into music production was Martin Garrix. When I was a little kid, I always listened to his old songs like Animals, or Bfam with Julian Jordan. I tried to remake these songs but failed most times 🙂

I often start by searching vocals on Splice. When I see some cool ones, I’m starting by creating a track around them. Sometimes, I download vocals from songs I like and build a track around them. When the track sounds great, I’m writing the lyrics myself and getting a singer who can record a sick vocal for it.

I don’t really have that one production or songwriting process, since I get inspired so fast and just add things that fit the track.

-What’s an average day like for you? And is there a hidden meaning in any of your music?

Before COVID-19 my day consisted of school and music production. Pretty boring. When COVID and the schools got locked down, I actually woke up, making music, and back into my bedroom. At the moment I start the day with some school video meetings. After that, I go outside with my dog and listen to music. Then, I make some music, and after that, I see my girlfriend as we spend a lot of time together which is amazing!

Sure. There is always a hidden meaning in my music. The vocal of my first release “Tell Me” was inspired by the start of the relationship with my girlfriend. My new release “Tears in Paradise”, shows that also people who seem to live a perfect life have their problems.

-Which DAW do you use to produce music? And which instruments do you play?

I started with Fruity Loops and tried out Studio One, Logic, Reaper, Ableton, and Cubase but came back to FL Studio since it’s my favorite software for producing EDM. From Instruments, I play guitar and trombone. I used also to sing when I was younger, but my voice changed as a teenager so I stopped that.

-Have you been in competitions?

My first serious upload on SoundCloud was a remix of “Thong Song” by Buzz Low. It was at a Spinnin’ Records remix contest and the track performed pretty well. I think I got around 4.000 streams.

-How do you think the electronic music scene was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?

The scene got affected by the disability of touring and playing live obviously. We all know that you can’t live from streaming revenues and most musicians need concerts and gigs to pay their rent. You can clearly see that artists are trying to establish new income streams with mixing or mastering services for example. Few producers even borrow their studios for money. We are all in this together so let’s hope that playing live will be possible soon.

-On a personal level, what music do you listen to in your free time? Do you have other activities besides music?

I listen to everything from tech house to pop. My favorite artists are definitely Oliver Heldens, Bram Fidder, and HUGEL, but I listen to music from almost every artist possible. A song that hit me hard recently is “Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo. As you can see I’m open to every genre.

When I’m not producing music, you can find me at our local airport. I am a glider / sport plane pilot, and I have a passion for music AND aviation. I’m doing many things in my free time and I have lots of hobbies. I can’t even count.

Thank you for that amazing interview!

You can follow Bela Bay on my social media pages: Instagram | Facebook | SoundCloud | YouTube