BEELO
Belen is BEELO - a combination of the first two letters of her first and middle names---sounds like Be-low. "Think of J.lo. Except that Lopez is my middle name. I think I'm the only person with that middle name, but I like it."
What started as singing along to Aventura’s 2005 hit Obsesión, to a crowd of a few of her mother’s friends, turned into something Belen would later revisit and call the unveiling of her passion, her calling. Weekends were anticipated in her household---at just 6 years old, she was already entertaining a crowd who paid her 5 dollars for every song she performed. She didn’t think much of these performances, admitting she was easily convinced by the payout, “That was a lot of money for a six-year-old. I always added the bills to my savings, well, my piggy bank.”
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Belen didn’t give much thought to pursuing music outside of the walls that made up her home. She had yet to recognize her natural talent in the outside world. Belen's joy when performing was contagious to her mom’s friends during her living room concerts. Music was second nature to her, always in her life---singing in the shower, humming along to her most recently played song in the car/market/phone, blasting her favorite artists on the highest volume possible, and shuffling between Spanish and English songs all day long. Music was always there.
The blissful sounds of her favorite songs, though, eventually faded into the background of her life. As if a giant mute button was placed on her life. A frightening silence replaced the upbeat sounds that once filled Belen’s being. This silence began the day she entered the foster care system. “Music was swept under the rug. It wasn’t the place to do that. It wasn’t a comfortable space for me. For a long time, I forgot how much I enjoyed music.” Belen was having a hard time accepting her new way of life. She couldn’t find the joy she once felt in any part of her life. She tried to tune everything out with music, and when not even that could provide the escape she longed for, she knew something was wrong.
“When I was in foster care, I didn’t talk to anyone about my experiences or what was happening to me in my day-to-day life. Not even therapists. I kept it all to myself. I didn’t want anyone to know my business. It was as if I was about to expose myself every time...I never thought to share my true feelings.” Belen chose to keep this part of her life private, not showing anyone the side of her that was hurting.
She had no one to turn to. And when she found herself showing even the slightest signs of vulnerability, she was let down. People didn’t know how to react. They couldn’t support her. Her efforts to opening up and being vulnerable were thrown in her face. All she wanted to feel was comfort and growth. It was during the darkest moment of her life, that the mute button was turned off---the music started to play louder.​​
At the age of 18, when Belen finally got her first car, she slowly started to feel like herself again. It was her new safe space. Unlike her time in foster care, she finally had some type of control. Deciding for herself who could and who could not enter her sacred space.
Belen quickly realized the same power over her space translated to how she wanted to control her life. She had say over who could enter and how much influence they had over her. She was behind the wheel. She was the driver of her own life now. “I’m an adult. I have my own car. I can be who I want and do whatever I want.” Thanks to a working radio and amazing sound system, Belen started to play music again. An unspoken rule in Belen’s car, “We need a really good playlist before I put my car into drive!” And shortly after, the singing started up once again. These were her breakthrough moments. “I have a song that saved me and still lives in me. The lyrics mean everything to me. It might be a little cheesy but Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys! It reminds me of foster care. I was going through a lot and this song helped me get through it. All I needed was the chorus. 'This girl, Beelo, is on fire!'”
Belen's recording process began at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when her roommates moved back home, and she finally had her own space. It was the same feeling she had when she got her first car, having her own space, especially her own room, turned free time to studio time. “It’s now always accessible. I can spend hours recording. I love it. It’s mine and no one can intrude.” Space was a huge factor in Belen’s life and music journey. With the right space and people around her, she began to feel like anything was possible. She takes her music practice so seriously, Belen has even dipped into music engineering courses to further improve her production skills.
During these moments of personal reflection, Belen started writing poetry and then thought to herself, “what if I turn all these lines into rhymes? And then read them over a beat? I could punch in the time and make a whole song.” She soon found the base of her process and realized she could create music anywhere. Everything that crossed her mind had the potential to be made into something bigger. She had a talent she was finally claiming. It will always be to Belen, the tool she used to finally see her true self. She continues to create music to uncover more parts of herself, even leading to new parts of herself she didn't recognize before. Every song brings something new. Most, if not all, of her songs are made in the comfort of her own home. This space allows Belen to dive deep. Pushing her to expand her comfort as an artist.
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“Sometimes it’s easier to talk to nobody and get on the mic. I’m just going to put my music out there. I don’t need nobody to save me.” She instantly feels free when completing a song because her process is the only time she is completely honest with herself. Things she doesn't even know are inside of her, always surface. All of it, is healing to Belen---putting on a beat and meeting the mic face to face: “I have no expectations or sympathy when making music. I’m just venting and throwing it all out there. When I feel like it is time to talk about something, even though I know I will always have a hard time, I need to talk about it on a song...Before music, I couldn’t hold a conversation when it came to talking about what I was feeling. I didn’t know how to express myself.” Belen has had her biggest breakthroughs when recording, “Hold on, I can explain. Just let me make a song about it.”
“Creating started to feel easy. It was my favorite part of the process, but there was always this heavy anxiety when it came time to putting my music out there. There was something about putting all my feelings into the world I feared. Even after posting a song, I go back and forth with myself, debating on whether or not I should take it down. Am I oversharing?” The idea of posting her music for the world to hear brought Belen back to those moments in foster care. Those moments when she dug herself into a hole after trying to open up and share her struggle. She wanted to be vulnerable but feared the same responses would creep back into her life. Belen is clear, "I am never asking for pity...I just want to be understood."
“Sometimes I held back from sharing my music because it was personal. It was me in a song. It has a lot to do with my pride. I didn’t want people to know I was out here making songs about them. I didn’t want them to know they were on my mind. I eventually let the fear go and accepted they would eventually hit that play button. I know it would be so good. It might even hurt so good.” Belen's catalogue is fueled by her experiences, with lyrics so powerful they make listeners feel like she’s talking directly to them. Her songs carry you through her moments, you can not be a passive listener when her words hold so much weight.
Belen's process of creating also includes her close group of friends, “I always share my songs with a few close friends before posting them online. They gave me the courage to keep going and creating. Then when I shared it online and got the same energy and feedback, it gave me a newfound confidence and pushed me even further.” The feedback she receives is what keeps her going back to the studio, she knew sharing parts of herself would mean reaching people who really needed to feel seen.​
With Belen’s music now out in the world. She admits to playing her songs over and over after sharing them, “Playing back my music and singing my lyrics is so healing. Something different comes up with each play. Even when I know what the song is about. I mean, I did write it haha.” She replays her songs because she recognizes the impact her music has on listeners, some of them even making an effort to get in contact with her directly. Her conversations with some of her fans turn became a reassurance for the really hard moments in her studio, that all the pain of remembering and healing has a larger purpose.
“I would runaway from placements, I would choose my own routes
Sleeping on someone's couch, I pray God when I'm in doubt
I never liked school, cause my head was in the clouds
But I put myself in college, and ima make myself proud
I started from the ground, I didn't get no discounts
Blessings on blessings, and ima make this song count, yeah
I don't need nobody
I'm my own shawty
I put myself in college
I did it on my own, I don't need nobody else now
I Don't Need Anybody by Beelo​
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“This was wild to me. It is the fastest song I ever wrote. It only took me one day. But it was also the realest song. It was me.”
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I Don't Need Nobody is Belen’s most streamed track, and to her surprise, most of her listeners reside in Germany. She did some research and learned there is a foster care system Germany, asking her to reflect on the impact of music to reach people in a language she does not know. The impact her music holds flies across oceans, “It makes me happy to learn others can get into my words and relate. And in Germany! Who would’ve thought!? There are so many people out there who relate and heal through my music.” And to think, not even language barriers, never ending space, or differing tastes in music---nothing can hold back a message.
“I was never one to shout myself out but I’m always so happy when others take initiative for me. I participated in a lot of panels and the hosts ALWAYS shout out my music. I’m always grateful when they do it for me. For some time, I didn’t find myself capable of even mentioning it, but it has now become a part of me I always share. Sometimes I even introduce myself as Beelo. It’s part of my identity.” The reactions her music sparked in listeners did something Belen just can’t explain. “Hearing just one person's reactions, is enough to keep me going.”
Chasing Dreams by Beelo
Another song Belen is extremely proud of---is a song she wrote for her clients, Chasing Dreams. “I really wanted them to go after their dreams. Whether that meant going to college or pursuing something they loved. I wanted them to chase it, whatever it might be. This song is for those who have been through it and are aspiring to be better, to be someone.”
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Belen recognized how much she needed this song. She wanted to motivate people who could relate to her. “I know what it feels like. I know what giving up can do to you.” Belen's music process is never selfish, it's a display of courage---choosing to be vulnerable in front of the world so other's can feel seen. ​​​​​​​​​​
Wish they could see it, cause I know im gonna take off
Following my dreams, I don't be caring if it take long
I'm only 5'2, biggest flex is that I'm headstrong
They didn't like me then, now they bumping every song
But, I can't be they friend cause I know they did me wrong
Man, I used to feel like dying, but now I love my life
Cause when I look up at the sky, It's gonna be alright​
I be chasing dreams like I be catching a flight, yea
Ima need some sunnies cause the spotlight too bright, yea
I can't hear the haters cause I'm living my life, yea
Walked a tunnel vision now my future so bright, yea
FYPC: Your music seems to be helping people everywhere. Are there any artists that inspire you? Artists that you grew up listening to that changed how you feel about yourself?
Belen: Growing up, I always tried to avoid sad songs and instead listen to happy songs. Some artists that inspired me and helped me on my darkest days were Nicki Minaj and Missy Elliot. It’s always fun to revisit their lyrics today and think, wow, that was a good line. I actually get what they were trying to say. I also listened to a lot of reggaeton. I really liked the way reggaeton uses quick and upbeat sounds. My go-to song was the one and only, Gasolina by Daddy Yankee.
FYPC: Speaking of Reggaeton, I noticed a lot of your music switches between English and Spanish and you have a few Spanish songs. Can you tell me a little bit more about this?
Belen: You know – I believe some stuff just sounds better in Spanish. It has more emotion and hits listeners. Especially when I’m mad! That’s when I switch to Spanish. One funny example of this is my most listened to track, I Don’t Need Nobody
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"I included these lines for the chismosas, those who are nosey and love gossiping---for the people who wish harm on me. They are not on my team, yet they are always the first ones to check on me. The ones who have the most to say. They are always fishing for something. They might not understand the English parts, but they will definitely feel the Spanish ones."
“Si no pagas mis billes, que te importa mi vida
Hago lo que quiero porque esta vida es mia
Son buenos pa juzgar, y siempre me critican
Sus hijos me admiran, y quieren hacer como yo un día
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If you're not paying for my bills, get the hell out of my business
I do what I want because this is my life
You are all good at judging and criticizing
Your kids admire me and hope to be like me one day
If you rewind a few years back, to the Belen with a mute button over her life, you'll find a Belen who held back on how she truly felt, believing that being timid would keep her safe. She hid what was happening inside her to not stir up any trouble, never wanting to be considered an inconvenience. Now, after years of reflecting on herself through her music and never stopping her music blasting through her radio, Belen is Beelo---a confident young woman speaking to power through vulnerability. She has her own back, in every language she is able to speak, she is unstoppable.
“I know my music reaches a lot of people and helps them heal. I also know there are people out there who don’t like my music because it’s about them---especially those who wronged me. They still want access to me, even when they know they are in the wrong. They are being exposed through my music. I know they are uncomfortable, but that wont ever stop me, I am just going to keep my music on repeat and play it louder the next time.”