If you started a band with Matt Corby, John Butler, Florence Welch and Ben Harper, you’d just about get 20-year-old artist Ella Belfanti. Sydney-raised, with a soulful sound developed between playing the snowy mountains in Australia and Japan, and the summer festivals on the East Coast, this pint-sized powerhouse has been hailed as ‘the next big thing!’ by Yumi Stynes, and is endorsed by Cole Clark Guitars.
Notable for her percussive fingerstyle guitar, live looping and powerful voice, Ella has won the ‘Best Guitarist’ award at the 2017 Bluesfest Busking Comp, and has made waves in the festival circuit with festivals including Byron Bay Guitar Festival, National Folk Festival, and Byron Bay Bluesfest under her belt. She takes her audience on a journey through folky ballads, groovy atmospheric blues, percussive guitar pieces, and fast-paced heralds to the confusing human condition. What her songs all have in common is a strikingly genuine quality that can only be described as raw.
Ella is currently based on the Gold Coast, Aus.
Ella was only 17 years old when she won the Best Guitarist title at the Bluesfest Busking Comp last year, beating many seasoned and respected musicians in the competition.
Since the award Ella has appeared at the Sydney Opera House performing at the All About Women Festival, and at the Byron Bay Guitar Festival alongside greats such as Phil Emmanuel, Fiona Boyes, and Jeff Lang. She has also played National Folk Festival, Illawarra Folk Festival, Peak Festival, Tablelands Folk Festival, Buskers By The Creek, Marrickville Festival, Newtown Festival, and was a headline act for Bastille Festival 2017 and 2018 at Sydney’s Circular Quay.
Her music has seen her gigging across Australia (Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra, along the East Coast, The Gold Coast, The Sunshine Coast, The NSW Snowy Mountains, Mount Hotham, North Queensland and the Illawarra Region) and in Hokkaido, Japan for 4 months.
Ella performs on the Exclusively Acoustic stage on Saturday August 3rd at 1.45pm