By Will Yannacoulias
Photo by Tracy Creighton/Copperblue Design
Saskatoon artist Aurora Bella released her third single on July 31, the hauntingly poignant “I Miss You”. A tale of yearning for people and places left behind, Bella’s cathartic writing and dreamy, effortless voice combine to candidly capture her sorrow and loss. Her flair for old fashioned vocal melodies and the uniquely wistful violin-ukulele arrangement posit the song firmly among the alternative singer songwriters redefining the genre. Bella shared with NSMZ her inspiration for the song and a glimpse of what’s to come in 2022.
“I wrote ‘I Miss You’ in fall of 2019” Bella shared. “I had just moved to Saskatoon from Salt Spring Island, BC and was attempting a long distance relationship with my boyfriend. I was feeling the loss really strongly, and wrote ‘I Miss You’ as a love song to someone far away. Now as it happens, long distance did not in fact work out for me, but I think that only adds to the poignancy of the song. There's a lot of layers of emotion, I've also attached that song to the feeling of living on Salt Spring Island. I love Saskatoon, it's a beautiful city and I've made some amazing connections, but I also love the part of my life I spent in BC, and that song certainly encapsulates how I felt about moving away.”
The single was produced and mixed at Saskatoon’s Dr. Juicebox Studio by brothers Earl Pereira and Efren Pereira Jr. Bella was joined in studio by several friends to add nuance to the stark, subdued arrangement of the song. As she explained, “I was super excited to get some great people playing on it, including Earl and Efren on bass and guitar, Anna Bekolay on violin, and Rodrigo Uribe on percussion. I played ukelele and keyboard, and sang.”
“I Miss You” will be supported by a video on August 7th, directed by Dylan Evans of Eyecatcher Studio. The song will be joined by two more late summer singles in advance of the fall release of Persephone, Bella’s debut album. “I Miss You” is available on all streaming services.