Bells Larsen is a Canadian singer-songwriter, originally from Toronto, Ontario, and currently based in Montreal, Quebec.
Background The son of children's author Andrew Larsen, Larsen attended Rosedale Heights School of the Arts, where he was a classmate of singer-songwriter Georgia Harmer.Alisha Mughal, "Bells Larsen Embraces Self-Discovery on His Own Timeline: 'We're All in Flux'". Exclaim!, April 24, 2025. His younger brother is actor Charlie Henry Larsen, known for his role in the show Overcompensating.
Career Larsen released his debut album, Good Grief, in 2022.Kayla Higgins, "Toronto's Bells Larsen Announces Debut Album 'Good Grief,' Shares Star-Crossed Single". Exclaim!, June 7, 2022. The music was largely inspired by the death of his first love. At the time he identified as non-binary, but had begun to pursue a gender transition by the album's release.Ben Okazawa, "Bells Larsen Announces New EP 'If I Was, I Am,' Shares Lead Single". Exclaim!, May 30, 2023.
He followed up in 2023 with If I Was, I Am, an EP featuring the first songs recorded in his new masculine vocal register. In 2024, he released a cover of Rostam Batmanglij's "Bike Dream" as a standalone single.Ben Okazawa, "Listen to Bells Larsen Cover Rostam's 'Bike Dream'". Exclaim!, February 7, 2024.
He subsequently signed to Royal Mountain Records, which released his second full-length album Blurring Time in 2025.Megan Lapierre, "Bells Larsen Details Sophomore Album 'Blurring Time'". Exclaim!, January 30, 2025. Conceived as a more direct and personal exploration of his transition than his previous releases, Larsen recorded vocals before beginning hormone replacement therapy in 2022, and then waited for his voice to drop before resuming the recording process in 2023. He then worked with Harmer to create new vocal harmony arrangements so that the album would feature vocal duets between his pre-transition and post-transition selves."Why Bells Larsen decided to sing duets with his past self". Q, May 1, 2025.
The album was to have been supported by a concert tour of both Canada and the United States;Kinza Zafar, "Bells Larsen Books North American Tour". Exclaim!, March 12, 2025. however, following Donald Trump's flurry of anti-transgender executive orders, Larsen was forced to cancel the American dates on the tour rather than risk being detained at the border over issues with the gender marker on his passport. The Canadian shows on his tour itinerary proceeded normally.Hénia Ould-Hammou, "Montreal artist cancels U.S. tour over visa policies targeting his gender identity". CBC News Montreal, April 13, 2025.
Blurring Time was longlisted for the 2025 Polaris Music Prize.Allie Gregory, "Polaris Music Prize Unveils 2025 Long List, Announces Song Prize". Exclaim!, June 10, 2025. In May 2026, Larsen released a short film tilted Blurring Time (the documentary), based on the 2025 album.
Discography Good Grief (2022) If I Was, I Am (2023) Blurring Time (2025)
References