We recently had the chance to connect with Bella Sera and have shared our conversation below.
Bella , really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Integrity is the most important quality in a person to me. I believe that you can teach someone how to improve on a skill or craft, with time and experience anyone can grow, but integrity takes a lifetime to learn.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Bella Sera, and I’m a professional drummer located in Austin, Texas! I recently graduated from Texas State University with a Bachelors of Science in Sound Recording Technology and am now pursuing a masters degree in Jazz Drum set Performance. You might have seen me playing in the band Tough on Fridays, an all girl alt rock band, or in the duo band Bikini Truck Stop, a progressive rock band.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
My first ever drum recital was when I was about ten years old, and I played “The Reason” by Hoobastank. Up until then, I had only ever played drums because I loved it, but that performance changed something for me. When my teachers and parents told me how much they enjoyed watching me play, I had this overwhelming realization: wow, I can actually show other people how incredible this instrument is.
Since that moment, performing has become one of my favorite parts of being a drummer. It’s not just about sharing how much I love the craft, it’s about sparking that same love in someone else and that is a very powerful feeling to me.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
The most defining wound in my life was losing my father when I was fourteen. That loss shaped a lot of my teenage years and even into adulthood. After he passed, I started writing lyrics as a way to process what I was feeling, and eventually I recorded those songs with a co-writer and sound engineer, Doyle Odom. That project turned into a full-length album that I released right before graduating high school.
What I learned through that experience was that I could have let grief completely take over my life, and it would have been understandable but instead, music gave me a way to turn that pain into something meaningful. It also opened my eyes to the beauty in the people around me. I realized you’re never really alone even if someone hasn’t gone through the exact same thing, they’ve experienced pain in their own way.
For me, healing comes through music, but also through helping others who feel isolated in their struggles.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
The public version of me is one thousand percent the real me. In the music industry, it’s common for musicians to behave completely differently on stage than off stage, but I believe personality plays a huge role in achieving ‘your sound’ a goal every musician strives for. Learning to be myself on stage took years of confidence building, because you’re essentially putting yourself in front of a crowd to be judged with a simple ‘I like this’ or ‘I don’t like this.’ That can be intimidating, but isn’t that the whole point of music? To connect with people who like you for who you really are, and giving the listener the choice to like you and your music. If you’re not performing as your true self, you’re not even giving the listener the chance to connect with the real you, and robbing them of the chance to be a true listener.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What do you understand deeply that most people don’t?
The fact that we are all human beings experiencing this life for the first time. This is your mom’s first time living life, this is your grandmother’s first time experiencing life. Mistakes will be made, and that’s okay. Every person you see on the street has a dream, a goal, a passion, a favorite song, and every person you pass by has made mistakes. Life would be so boring without mistakes, and some of the best things that we have today have come from mistakes.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/b_the_drummer?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
- Other: Tough on Fridays
https://www.instagram.com/toughonfridays?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==Bikini Truck Stop
https://linktr.ee/bikinitruckstop
Image Credits
Eric Wendt
Luna Lockhardt
