MY NAME IS XELA BELA AND I‘M YOUR NEXT FAVORITE GENDER-DISMANTLED POP STAR.
dark and addictive dance-pop artist. independent singer, songwriter, producer, and performer who loves to create live spectacle and production. born in Greenville, nc, 28 year old Xela Bela is a queer, nonbinary, first-gen asian-American with 2 professional classical violinists for parents. growing up on a mix of pop and classical music and with years of classical violin, piano, and vocal training, xela is a well-rounded musician and performer with a unique point-of-view, hellbent on building a world of liberation and freedom within their musical and visual universe.
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Sonically, my signature sound is dark, intense, aggressive dance-pop. I’m obsessed with the deep, visceral feeling of power that pop music can elicit. I’m captivated by catchy hooks and satisfying melodies that find their way into your brain over and over. Despite a classical violin upbringing with two professional violinist parents, I grew up on lady gaga, lana del rey, madonna, and have later become entranced by artists like charli xcx, chappell roan, lorde, and sophie.
Thematically, I’m exploring and reflecting my experience growing up as the weirdo queer kid with immigrant parents in a small town in rural north carolina. I interface with my emotional trauma through vicious, hard-hitting tracks that I hope give my audience a chance to revel in the catharsis.
Aesthetically, I have an ever shifting fluid identity that’s hard to pin down, but one that is instinctively easy to identify. I gravitate towards subversive, dramatic, editorial imagery that captures the essence of impossible-to-define feelings. Gender means nothing.
On stage, every performance is an opportunity to world-build and tell a story, so no matter the venue or context, regardless if I'm dancing or sitting behind a piano, I’m putting on a fucking show. I truly love my records, and I believe they deserve spectacle—props, costumes, choreography, story, drama. This is my vision, and I’m the creative force behind it all. The work is an extension of my soul and I owe it to the music to make something spectacular every time.
Intentionally, at the center of it all is my heart and soul—all I could ask for is to uplift and empower queer people and give ourselves a dance floor powered by both the pain, fury, and rage against oppression; and by the joy, happiness, and honesty we are all capable of. Even just for a night. Through years of introspection I've built a strong, fluid identity centered around liberation, self-expression, and community. In a particularly unnerving time for lgbtq+ people in the us, unapologetic queer joy, representation, and freedom are invaluable resources. Bringing my music and art to a live stage is the ultimate way to connect and hopefully empower my community.
Pop music is my healer and the thing that saved my life, and creating it is what I was put here to do. To share it with the world is a great privilege I don’t take for granted.
upcoming
3 singles and music videos followed by a full-length LP, all coming in 2026
peak numbers
lifetime across Spotify and Apple Music
Electric Blue (Album)
released 11/2023: 4193 streams
Dance The Night Away (Single)
released 9/2021: 4096 streams
Blonde (Single)
released 8/2019: 429 streams
Golden Years (Album)
released 10/2017: 2372 streams
FILES
press photos
epk pdf
XELA BELA LIVE
upcoming DECEMBER 28, 2025
ARCANA bar and lounge
QUEER TALENT SHOW DECEMBER
DURHAM, NC
november 19, 2025
CLUB ERA
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR semifinals
DURHAM, NC
October 12, 2025
ARCANA bar and lounge
QUEER TALENT SHOW october
DURHAM, NC
august 2, 2025
LEGENDS NIGHTCLUB
OPEN CALL TALENT SHOW august
RALEIGH, NC
June 28, 2025
CLUB ERA
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR OPEN CALL JUNE
DURHAM, NC
IN A PAST LIFE…
BEFORE THE CREATION OF Xela Bela, I WENT BY Joseph Alexander AND RELEASED QUITE A FEW RECORDS WHEN I WAS YOUNGER. I WAS ONCE THE RAINBOW SPOTLIGHT ARTIST ON Willam + Alaska’s PODCAST, HAD SOME MOMENTUM GOING, AND GOT SUCKED INTO WORK AND LIFE CHANGES AND LOST MY WAY. I STILL LOVE WHAT I CREATED AS Joseph, SO TAKE A LISTEN TO Xela’s PREDECESSOR.
SAY HELLO
SAY HELLO
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