Belle Sisoski first established herself as a singer and songwriter in late 2020 amidst the pandemic. The Sarawak-born musician gained a following online after releasing song covers on TikTok. But what propelled her into her online international stardom was when she released her song, Stop Your Games, one she submitted to the Commonwealth Song Contest. Though she has come far in her career as a musician, songwriter, producer and film score composer on an international level, Belle Sisoski remains grounded and humble.
She attributes her mother to being her biggest musical inspiration, holding onto her thick, plastic-ring bonded university thesis, one which the singer shares admiration for. “I found myself integrating traditional Sarawakian instruments into the music I enjoyed listening to and playing. That dichotomy exists in harmony, and I would not have found that balance or talent had I not read the thesis my mother had prepared,” she explains.
Flitting between three genres of music—ethnic Southeast Asia, cinematic music and EDM on the spectrum of techno music—this one-woman artist has effectively pushed the boundaries in the ways traditional and cultural music exists and interacts with contemporary sounds. However, at the core of her artistry, the musician regards herself as a storyteller, one who creates immersive experiences that transport her listeners to a multitude of worlds.
Though she is in perpetual motion, experimenting and practicing her music in a range of areas, she highlights her time composing a film score for the movie Scars, a passion of hers, as she explains, for the emotional world building is rapturous in experience. When queried on why she has continually kept her craft in music alive in an industry that has not favoured women in particular, Sisoski replies resoundingly. “I get to push my creative boundary to the fullest. I once saw a really good question that has stuck with me till now. Artists should not answer questions. They should instead ask them into perpetuity.” The multidisciplinary sound maker continues to ask questions.
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