<\/p>\n
Drake Bell is embracing his love for Latin music.<\/p>\n
The 39-year-old singer-songwriter just released his new single, \u201cBreak Your Heart,\u201d with Colombian artist and music producer Kevin Rold\u00e1n. The track marks a new and bold direction for the pop-rock singer, as he experiments with Latin rhythms and dance-pop elements, which is a departure from his previous albums, including last year\u2019s Non Stop Flight. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cThe new EP is a far, far departure from Non Stop Flight<\/em>,\u201d Bell says over Zoom from Florida. \u201cYou\u2019ll get to see the huge diversity in the music. This is an entirely new and different record. It\u2019s going to have a new and fresh sound for the fans\u2019 ears. It\u2019ll be a nice transition.\u201d<\/p>\n Bell, who divides his time between his home in Mexico City and Orlando, Florida, feels a close connection to his Latin American base, having released songs in Spanish. Before his move to Mexico in 2024, he released a full Spanish album, Sesiones En Casa<\/em>, in 2020, and plans on releasing even more.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s funny because every time I release a Spanish song, I get asked the same questions if [I\u2019ll be] releasing more,\u201d Bell laughs. \u201cThen I release more, and then get asked [again]. I think we understand that I\u2019m releasing more songs. I definitely love writing and singing in Spanish. It opens me up to a whole different audience. So, there will definitely be more.\u201d<\/p>\n Bell\u2019s collaboration with Rold\u00e1n began when Bell reached out to the singer for potential collaborations. Having grown up watching Bell\u2019s show \u201cDrake & Josh<\/u><\/a>,\u201d Rold\u00e1n was a fan and agreed to work together.<\/p>\n \u201cI was in Mexico at the time, and he flew out to Mexico,\u201d Bell recalls. \u201cWe were able to go to the studio and bust this song out. It was pretty cool.\u201d<\/p>\n The music video was filmed in Mexico, with the two performing at a nightclub. Bell describes the scene as \u201cenergetic, cool, emotional, and very vibey.\u201d It brought back memories of how music videos, especially those surrounding the topics of love and heartbreak, used to be.<\/p>\n \u201cThings are going crazy around us,\u201d Bell says. \u201cWe\u2019ve got rain pouring and fire around us, showing our inner turmoil and emotions. During our performance in the club, our love interests [are around us]<\/p>\n . Outward, we\u2019re like cool rockstars, but you also see what\u2019s going on inside.\u201d<\/p>\n Bell has been playing shows all over Latin America and collaborating with numerous Latin artists; he feels deeply influenced by their music and the vibes they bring. He loves being in that space, which has welcomed him wholeheartedly.<\/p>\n \u201cYou get heavily influenced by all of that, and you see people\u2019s reactions to that music and everything,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s just natural. It draws me naturally to want to make that type of music that you\u2019re hearing and listening to.\u201d<\/p>\n Bell has openly talked about his move to Mexico City<\/u><\/a>, which he says is not about \u201cescaping from Hollywood,\u201d but rather going where the fans are.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s how the fans responded,\u201d Bell bluntly says. \u201cYou have to go where the fans are. My fans in Latin America have responded \u2013 and have been incredible. It made it possible for me to go out and play big shows, sell records, do all kinds of music I want to make, and they listen to it and enjoy it.\u201d<\/p>\n Bell admits moving to Mexico wasn\u2019t a bit of culture shock because he was raised in Southern California, where Mexican culture was \u201cingrained in his upbringing.\u201d He finds Mexican culture to be beautiful and fascinating. He relates closely to the strong family values, having become a father himself. Bell says, \u201cIt\u2019s wonderful to be a part of. They have embraced me, and it\u2019s been great.\u201d<\/p>\n The new EP, for which Bell has not revealed the title yet, will have him reunited with Mexican singer Adriel Favela, with whom he collaborated on the 2024 song, \u201cVente Para M\u00e9xico.” Bell says the songs on the album are eclectic, with styles that differ from one another.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve gone songs like this with Kevin Rold\u00e1n,\u201d Bell explains. \u201cWe\u2019ve got this fun and more laidback beach vibe song with Adriel Favela, and then another song I wrote called \u2018Long Nights\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Bell couldn\u2019t describe the type of genre or sound he was going for in the album, but just did it based on how he felt in the studio. He\u2019s not one to keep a journal or diary for his music or conduct any writing sessions. Also, with the collaborations, he says it\u2019s influenced by their styles, which are entirely different than his.<\/p>\n \u201cThis album is this <\/em>genre, because there are so many different influences and sounds coming from the album,\u201d Bell says. \u201cIt\u2019s hard [to describe] because it\u2019s pop rock, my melodic influences, and the collaborations on the album.\u201d<\/p>\n Though he has worked with many Latin talent, Bell is open to working with other artists. His dream collaboration is still with Paul McCartney<\/a>, but he says he\u2019s game to work with anyone, as he loves all types of music and is willing to try something new.<\/p>\n Bell hasn\u2019t gotten into the Asian pop scene, but reveals many of his fans are also fans of K-pop. He understands why because the music is melodic and catchy. He\u2019d be interested in touring and working in Asia one of these days.<\/p>\n \u201c[K-pop] is not just run-of-the-mill pop music; it\u2019s really cool,\u201d Bell admits. \u201cI can\u2019t go so deep, but I do know of BTS<\/a>, that\u2019s about it.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Bell may be planning his next EP, he is still enjoying the fruits of his labor from his studio album, Non Stop Flight<\/em>. He\u2019s very proud of the album, which consists of 35 semi-autobiographical tracks that break down his journey through life. It was a cathartic album and moment for the singer, who says the journey is never truly over.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a writer and as an artist, you\u2019re never done [with writing about your experience],\u201d says Bell. \u201cThat was a really poignant and important record for me, emotionally in my career and where I was in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s why he hosted a special listening party for the album<\/u><\/a>, allowing fans to experience it last month. The event was held in Arizona, which transformed a venue into a ’70s-style Pan Air flight called \u201cBell Air.\u201d The ticketed attendees were welcomed on board as if they were embarking on a \u201cnon-stop flight\u201d, served drinks and snacks, and listened to the album with Bell as the Captain.<\/p>\n \u201cI would love more events like Arizona,\u201d says Bell. \u201cI\u2019m looking at moving it around and having a tour because everyone had a fantastic time. It was really a cool experience. That\u2019s what I really wanted from this album. I wanted it to be like going on Star Tours or being on a Yellow Submarine listening to [The Beatles\u2019]<\/u><\/a> \u2018Yellow Submarine.\u2019 That was my dream. It\u2019s cool to see it come to life.\u201d<\/p>\n He would love to hold more experiences like this in other states, with an eye on a venue in Los Angeles to host one. He says fans get to dress up and feel like they\u2019re really on the plane, listening to his musical journey.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019ve heard the record, it\u2019s like you\u2019re actually there,\u201d he explains. \u201cThe cocktail waitresses and stewardesses\/flight attendants are coming down and dropping off cocktails. It\u2019s a trip. I had this idea in my bedroom, and I didn\u2019t know there was a place that could make an airplane. This was the idea. This was the vision. It\u2019s all \u201870s retro vibes. It was crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n In between our conversation, Bell has been interacting with his 4-year-old son, taking him out to get ice cream. He apologizes if the sound of Angry Birds is too loud because his son is playing it in the background. When he begins to talk about fatherhood, there\u2019s an ease in his voice. He\u2019s excited to talk about this chapter in his life.<\/p>\n We discuss how surreal it is to see people we watched growing up become parents. Bell has many fans who grew up alongside him, and they have also become parents, which he finds beautiful.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s weird, right?\u201d Bell laughs. \u201cIt\u2019s beautiful. [Fatherhood] is wonderful. I get to go on the road, and sometimes he can come to concerts with me. He loves it. I go on the road, but I come home and get to be dad \u2013 then I go back on the road and get to be a rock star again. It\u2019s an interesting life. I still feel like I\u2019m 20. It\u2019s cool. I get to be Batman and Bruce Wayne.\u201d<\/p>\n Fans can expect him to sing about being a father, as he often shares his life story through his music. Even if he doesn\u2019t write it blatantly, there is some hidden meaning in his music. Many of his fans have revisited his older albums, including his debut album, \u201cTelegraph,\u201d which was created during his challenging times<\/u><\/a>, and found significance or a deeper meaning in the lyrics. He reveals, \u201cWith that knowledge, everything does come out through my lyrics.\u201d<\/p>\n