Artist Biography Available in: "Bella Hardy" is a contemporary folk musician, singer and songwriter from the UK, who performs a combination of traditional and self-penned material. She was named Folk Singer of the Year at the 2014 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, having previously won the award for Best Original Song in 2012 for "The Herring Girl".
Bella Hardy is from Edale in Derbyshire's Dark Peak where there is an abundance of communal song. Born into a family of singers, Hardy began singing locally at an early age. Having played the fiddle a small amount at school, she attended a Folkworks Youth Summer School in Durham aged 13. Motivated by the number of young people playing folk music.
Hardy attended Hope Valley College and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from York St John University in 2005 and a Master of Music degree from the University of Newcastle in 2007.