Pianist-composer Belle Chen has been gently, quietly, putting spectacular music into the world for quite some time, and her newest single, “Breezy”, is no exception.

“I wrote it in the depth of winter in London and it was really dark, super depressing,” she tells us. “Lots of clouds, not a lot of sun, and I was trying to imagine or think back to the memory of summer, the feeling of wind against the skin, of that warmth and of being carefree.”

As a result, listeners are transported to a luscious soundscape that is the perfect music to put on when life feels a little too heavy, when the sun is out – or perhaps when it isn’t – and life needs to slow down just a tad. 

The London-based Australian-Taiwanese artist is currently touring whilst juggling being a brand new mum. Yet she hasn’t stopped for a second. Beyond “Breezy”, even more new music beckons going into 2027, and her latest is an introduction for listeners to the magic that she’ll be ushering into their lives within the upcoming months.

“I think with myself and anything I create, I don’t try to overthink it ’cause Ithink when you create for the purpose of meeting the needs of others, then it’s not… you lose that genuineness, I guess. 

So for me it’s always been from the heart, and some tunes as a result do better than others because I don’t have control over how everything’s received. But I do know that if I am genuine with my intention and honest with what I have to say, then it will speak to certain people.”

Whilst “Breezy” is set to reach others very soon, she shares with us five artists who are also inspiring her today.

Ryuichi Sakamoto

As always. The diversity of his work and his emotional depth is just amazing.

Tigran Hamasyan

I’m always trying to analyze what he’s doing with the groove and how he evokes those emotions.

Bill Laurance

I love his writing. He’s another pianist-composer in the jazz realm, you’d probably call him cross-genre.

Lily Allen

I’ve been listening to her latest album. I just thought it was so well done. She is such a great storyteller and she does it in a way that’s raw, but light and feminine. It’s got heavy emotions behind it; so, I’m loving that. 

Charli XCX

It teaches me so much to listen for how she uses synths and how she writes, because I think pop artists have a really great way of writing that hooks people, and they know what emotions they want the listeners to feel, and they’re so good at bringing it out on the get-go. 

I think classical music also does the same, but in a very, very different way and in a more nuanced way. There’s so much to learn from how electronic instruments, evoke excitement at certain times: when the beat drops, for example… that’s done on purpose, and that’s not subtle, but it works.

“Breezy” is out on the 15th of May on all streaming platforms. Belle Chen can be found on Instagram at @bellepianist.