来自爱尔兰的西岸的姐妹Cathy Newell (21岁)和Ciara Newell (20岁),再加上出身于爱尔兰音乐温床Sligo的Kelly Kilfeather (24岁),组成了这队让人眼前一亮的爱尔兰三人少女组合——Bellefire。刚出道是,人们常把她们与The Corrs (可儿乐队)相提并论。她们既有天分又有才华,且明亮照人,是当今乐坛上难得一间的实力偶像派组合。
They've chosen this name(Bellefire)to show others that they're from Ireland and that they're proud of it. The word Bellefire is derived from the word Balcanac, which means May in Irish. It also is a Celtic festival.
这名字很有爱尔兰特色,直译就是“爱尔兰的五月”,同时也是一个凯尔特民族的节日名字。
她们组队已有4年了,原本有四位成员。Ciara和Kelly在一个爱尔兰的选星秀里一见如故,连同Cathy,第二天以三人合唱团的姿态出现在选拔赛中引起了比赛策划人的注意。于是,2000年再加上另一女歌手Tara,这四人女子组和正式签约维京唱片公司(Virgin),首发的两首单曲都打入英国榜的前20位;她们翻唱U2乐队的《All I Want Is You》在爱尔兰也有近双白金的销量。2001年,他们还作为同乡的爱尔兰组合Westlife的演唱嘉宾跟随他们进行巡回演出,反应热烈。2003年他们里看了维京唱片公司,Tara也决定投身到她真正向往的时装界。
与以前的专辑相比,新专辑《Spin the Wheel》更突显这三人在音乐造诣上经多番磨练后所散发出的一股全新的成熟韵味。专辑里流淌着让人久听不厌的流行旋律,现代与古典的和谐结合。《Spin the Wheel》一曲没有用太多爱尔兰传统乐器,释放出更多明亮欢快的流行音乐元素;三个年轻女歌手正走出The Corrs的阴影,成为具有其独特音乐风格的女子组合。Kelly概述这专辑的创作初衷——“如今的流行音乐舍本逐末。若某人用了某种音乐模式,则人人都效仿。但好的歌曲永不过时,我们就希望这张专辑有经久不衰的音乐,有经历十年仍为我们所热衷演唱的歌曲。”
The first girl band to be managed by boy band supremo Louis Walsh, four-piece Bellefire were briefly one of the biggest pop acts in their native Ireland. Kelly Kilfeather and sisters Ciara and Cathy Newell met backstage at an audition for a new boy/girl band put together by Boyzone/Westlife manager Walsh. Unimpressed by the male entrants, Walsh instead decided to form his first girl band, and after introducing a singer he already knew, Tara Lee to the trio, Bellefire were formed. Originally known as "Chit Chat", the girls signed with Virgin Records after a support slot on Boyzone's European tour. Their first two releases, "Perfect Bliss" and a cover of U2's "All I Want Is You" both reached the Top 20 in the U.K. and the Top Three in Ireland. However, just weeks before their debut album After the Rain was due to be released, the band were dropped by their label and Lee left to pursue a career in television. In 2004, they signed with WEA Records and moved to London to record their second album. Comeback single "Say Something Anyway" continued their run of successive Top Five singles and the band embarked on a tour of the Far East, where their traditional Irish ballad versions of Japanese punk songs had gained them a loyal following. But after "Spin the Wheel" charted disappointingly in both the U.K. and Ireland, the band parted company with their label and their album of the same name was shelved.. Since the split, Ciara has provided backing vocals for Lee Ryan's debut album, Cathy has been a judge on the hit TV show Star Stream Final, and Kelly is working on solo material.