Thanks to his unique voice and his talent for heart-rending melodies, over the years Jacob Bellens has become one of the most distinctive figures on the Scandinavian music scene. Born in 1979 and raised in the small Danish town Sneslev (pop. 400), Bellens has been writing songs since the age of 18 resulting in a huge output of material.
He has been releasing music since 2004, beginning with the debut album “Scandinavian South” from electronic sample-based outfit Livstrompet. In the following years, he released three albums with the duo project Murder: “One Year From Now It’s My Birthday” (2005), “Stockholm Syndrome” (2006) and “Gospel of Man” (2010). Bellens was also the lead singer and songwriter of the band I Got You On Tape, who released four albums since 2006: “I Got You On Tape” (2006), “2” (2007), “Spinning for the Cause” (2009) and “Church of the Real” (2011). Additionally, he has collaborated with several different artists such as Kasper Bjørke and AV AV AV and also writes songs and lyrics for other musicians.
“The Daisy Age”, Bellens’ solo debut album, was released in 2012. It’s an almost dogmatically analogue and somewhat minimalistic album, recorded exclusively live on tape in the studio by local audio adventurer Anders Christophersen. The second release was “My Convictions”, a personal take on classical vintage pop with flutes, strings and horns. It was produced by Frederik Thaae and released in 2014 through Bellens’ own label A Spot In The Sun.
Two years later, in February 2016, Bellens released his third solo album “Polyester Skin” through hfn music. It came to life in a close collaboration with Danish producer/DJ Kasper Bjørke who selected the songs out of tons of demos and produced them. While the overall sonic impression of this album is electronic, it also makes use of vibraphone, different types of percussion, electric bass, live strings and drums. With “Untouchable” the album also includes one of Bellens biggest hits.
“Trail Of Intuition“ followed in 2018. Produced by Rune Borup and Lars Iversen it’s a collection of snapshots of the whole range of feelings for which Bellens digs into the pool of his own experiences. In a catchy pop approach Bellens uses synthesizer sounds, strings, trumpet and drums as well as his characteristic voice to reflect on his life’s journey.
Entitled ‘My Heart Is Hungry And The Days Go By So Quickly’ and released in April 2020, Bellens fifth solo album was recorded with a handful of musicians and offers a more organic ‘band’ sound.