Singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Bella White today shares her new single “Rhododendron” – a song that both encapsulates her stunning voice and her ability to pen a song that puts her own stamp on traditional country.  Bella says, “I wrote ‘Rhododendron’ on Mother’s Day while staying at my mum’s house during the middle of the pandemic. She was away and I was missing her. I looked out of her bedroom window and saw a robin building a nest. I began to think of the importance of mothers and daughters, and how hard our mothers — or anyone who wears those shoes — works to keep us alive. I felt wistful and melancholy.”  Bella captured herself in the studio with her band recording “Rhododendron” for the song’s video, also released today.

Today’s single is the follow up to “The Way I Oughta Go” which was produced by Jonathan Wilson and features Buck Meek on guitar.  

Calgary-born singer/songwriter Bella White made her mark on the scene with the release of her debut album Just Like Leaving. The LP caught the attention of Rounder Records which signed her last year.  While traditional bluegrass originated in Appalachia, the genre has surely found a safe and loving Canadian home via her songwriting.  The twenty-two-year-old singer/songwriter and instrumentalist shies away from modern and fussy arrangements, and instead brings a traditional style of music into the contemporary moment by personalizing it to her own experiences.  White has shown herself to be a star student of the bluegrass genre, with something new to bring to the table.  Her ability to translate modern experience to an old sound is seamless and compelling, and permeates the boundaries of a regional genre with authentic singing and songwriting.

Photo Courtesy: Bree Fish