Rising indie-pop artist Ada Marques has released her captivating debut single, “Bell.” The track takes an honest look at how our prior relationships can distort our self-image and impact the way we approach future opportunities. Listen to it now below.
The dreamlike indie-folk track touches on the agonizing feeling of being forgotten by someone you can’t let go of. Produced by two-time Grammy-nominated Chris Reynolds, the song starts off quiet and intimate before building into an explosion of strings and horns as Ada celebrates her decision to rise up, champion herself, and release her emotions candidly
As an only child, Marques admits that she lives in her own head sometimes. She has also always had a level of intimacy with songwriting that is unique and different from most people. At times, her relationship with music felt as vital to her as other people’s connection to their best friend. Music made her feel alive and loved, and she couldn’t get enough of it. Each night, while her aunt was away at work, Marques would sneak into her bedroom and spend hours sampling and studying each of the albums in her CD collection, connecting emotionally with each artist she discovered including Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, and Stevie Nicks. “The way they would write their stories so plainly and bluntly yet gracefully inspired me,” she admits, noting their influence on her own style of songwriting. Uncovering Taylor Swift’s debut album, Marques realized for the first time that songs don’t just happen; they’re created by musicians. Instantly, she was inspired to try to unlock her own abilities as a storyteller.
From that moment on, she began writing about everything around her, from family and friends, to whatever she’d seen on her ride home, watched on TV, or recently read. As she grew up and navigated high school, boys, and the dramas surrounding both, she realized that songwriting was actually an outlet that kept her sane and release her emotions. With the encouragement from a mentor and the inspiration of other female musicals she had always looked up to, Ada found herself considering releasing her music to the public, a dream she had always been passionate about, but too afraid to explore.