By Colin 
Bella Barbe is back with her boldest release yet, the rebellious new single ‘Go To Dinner’. The North London artist continues to carve out her own lane, blending hip-hop, trip-hop, punk energy and soul into a sound that feels fresh, fearless and completely her own.
‘Go To Dinner’ is an anthem for outsiders, built for those moments when you’re surrounded by people who don’t feel like your people. With a punchy hip-hop chorus, verses that echo the infectious sway of trip-hop, and a punk-driven bassline that refuses to let up, Bella turns that restless, uneasy energy into something defiant. This is not just a night out gone wrong – it’s a soundtrack for choosing yourself, walking away from the crowd, and heading somewhere better.
Bella’s vocal delivery is striking throughout. One moment sharp, rhythmic, and rap-like, the next soulful and atmospheric, she captures the push and pull of disconnection and release. It’s a performance that feels gritty but cinematic, raw but carefully controlled. You can hear her finding freedom in every line, leaning into the outsider energy that defines her both sonically and visually.
The look and the sound are inseparable. Bella leans into her iconic aesthetic – all black, trench coat, hair wrapped – embodying her refusal to blend in. It’s an image of rebellion, but also of clarity: she knows who she is, and she’s unafraid to stand apart.
Speaking about the single, Bella explains: “I wrote this song in the middle of a night out where I felt disconnected from everything happening around me. It’s about that urge to leave the function and go back to the people who make you feel like yourself.” That honesty is at the core of the track. It’s not about rejecting everyone – it’s about choosing the right ones, the real ones.
Finding her voice
‘Go To Dinner’ follows Bella’s previous single ‘Ten Toes Down’, a cinematic and introspective track where her soulful vocals rose over a striking percussion-fuelled instrumental. That song showed her gift for laying bare her feelings; this new one shows her fire. Together, they paint the picture of an artist still in her teens but already sounding fully formed.
Bella is just 18, raised in Enfield in a single-parent household, and she pours her resilience and defiance into her music. Her influences are vast and varied, from the poetic, art-driven edge of Kate Bush to the streetwise grit of Wu-Tang Clan. That mix might sound unlikely on paper, but in Bella’s hands it makes complete sense. She’s building a sound that is equal parts hypnotic and hard-hitting, soulful and sharp.
With each release, Bella proves she is one of the UK’s most compelling new voices. She is not chasing trends; she is creating a world of her own, where rap poetry collides with punk basslines and smoky atmospheres. ‘Go To Dinner’ makes that world even clearer, its energy both rebellious and relatable.
Review
‘Go To Dinner’ is the kind of track that stops you in your tracks. It’s built on tension – that bassline is relentless, pulling you forward even as the lyrics tell you to pull away. The hip-hop chorus lands like a punch, demanding attention, while the trip-hop verses weave in a moodier, hypnotic sway. The combination creates something dynamic and addictive.
Bella’s voice is the secret weapon. Switching effortlessly between rhythmic, spoken flow and soulful grit, she commands every second of the track. She sounds restless, urgent, and alive. It’s a performance that feels impossible to fake because it comes straight from lived experience.
The hook is killer. It’s the kind of line you hear once and find yourself repeating, whether you’re in a club, on the bus, or literally standing at a party thinking about leaving. That universality is what makes the song work – it takes one person’s private feeling and turns it into a rallying cry.
Produced with precision but never polished to sterility, ‘Go To Dinner’ is gritty where it needs to be and cinematic where it counts. Every detail feels intentional, yet the overall effect is one of raw spontaneity. It’s exactly the right balance for Bella, whose art thrives on tension between control and chaos.
As a follow-up to ‘Ten Toes Down’, it feels like a leap forward. Not because the earlier single was lacking, but because this one carries such clarity of purpose. Bella knows what she wants to say and how she wants to say it. That certainty makes the track unforgettable.
‘Go To Dinner’ isn’t just a great single. It’s a statement of identity, a song that tells the world who Bella Barbe is and what she stands for. At only 18, she already sounds like the future.