Ariel Bellvalaire

Catching Up with Ariel Bellvalaire of Paradise Kitty

Interview by Ken Morton - Photo by Jack Lue

Emerging rock guitarist Ariel Bellvalaire is best known for her participation within the ranks of Paradise Kitty - an all girl Guns N’ Roses tribute act that has been making quite a name for themselves all across the world. Ariel has been releasing solo material as well, described by fans as “Avril Lavigne with a hint of Van Halen.” Diamonds Or Coal and Elastic are the latest singles from Ariel, with the videos featuring the world starmaking premiere of her guinea pig Gucci! Highwire Daze recently caught up with the massively talented Ms. Bellvalaire to find out the latest happenings of her solo career, touring with Paradise Kitty, her poster shoot for this very issue with legendary photographer Jack Lue, and more!

How long have you had Gucci and how did Gucci enjoy being the star of your new video Diamonds Or Coal?

I can’t believe it but next month will officially be 3 years since adopting Gucci! He quite enjoyed starring in the Diamonds Or Coal, he was given tons of treats and was supervised by “Movie Animals Protected” to make sure he was safe and happy while filming!

What was the inspiration behind your previous song Elastic?

Elastic was actually a similar situation to Diamonds Or Coal! (I had a theme going for these songs!) I was in a relationship that was constantly off and on. When either one of us would pull away, the other would pull closer and we always snapped back together like a rubber band!

In the video for Elastic, some of your Ariel The Aerialist skills shine through. Tell me about the inspiration behind the video.

My main goal for the video was to really showcase my daredevil stunts with a guitar. I’ve been an aerialist for a few years now and when I discovered it was possible to play guitar upside down while doing gymnastics, I was determined to find as many cool tricks that I could combine with

guitar playing as possible. The director of the video, Hunter McCann, came up with the idea of playing guitar on the back of a moving motorcycle in the video and I was terrified at the idea! I decided to try it anyway and it became my favorite part of the video!

What was the experience like working on Broadway and appearing in Dearly Beloved?

Playing in Dearly Beloved was by far one of the most incredible performances I’ve been a part of! The talent Broadway performers have is on a whole other level. They can sing beautifully, act out scenes and dance! It was such an honor to share the stage with such incredible performers.

What was the experience like doing the The I Am King: The Michael Jackson Experience? Did you work with Lexii Lynn Frazier who was also in the show?

Playing in I Am King is so much fun! Any show where you can play Michael Jackson songs is always a great experience. Michael’s songs are so complex yet so well written and iconic. The music side of the songs are pure genius. Lexii Lynn and I have played shows together! It was a lot of fun playing harmonized guitar parts with her!

What has it been like to tour with Paradise Kitty in the age of Covid-19?

It was so great being able to tour again with my Paradise Kitty girls! It was my first east coast tour since Covid and the audiences were so much fun to rock out with! We all had so much energy while performing and were so happy to be back on stage together.

How did you become involved with Paradise Kitty?

Paradise Kitty was needing a lead guitarist for a Texas tour and I was recommended to them for an audition. I got the gig and after playing the first show, we all knew we were meant to perform together. We have a great time on stage and on tour!

In our last issue, you had yet to meet Slash. Has that situation changed? What has your connection with Slash been so far and how has he inspired your guitar playing?

I still have yet to meet Slash! I’m hoping to meet him soon and find out what his secret for keeping his hat on while rocking out is! He has been such an huge guitar inspiration for me. I love the way his solos are melodic enough to sing yet have incredibly intense phrases with a lot of bends. I try to write solos with him in mind and come up with parts that are melodic and singable.

How close are you to releasing an EP or full-length album?

I actually have a bunch of songs recorded or in the process of being recorded! I plan on releasing singles on a regular basis complete with power anthem choruses and face melting guitar solos!

Are you currently involved with any other projects outside of your solo work and Paradise Kitty?

I recently had the pleasure of playing guitar with Molly Moore when she opened for Chromeo and played at the Bottle Rock festival! Her music is amazing, it’s a combination of so many styles and I love the R&B guitar parts!

What has it been like to do photo shoots with the legendary Guns N’ Roses photographer Jack Lue?

It has been so cool working with Jack! He is such an incredible photographer and his live shots are legendary! I can’t say I have a favorite shoot or picture though because they’re all so good! He takes some of the best Rock an’ Roll pictures I’ve seen and is always so great to work with. Thanks for everything Jack!

What is your guitar of choice and why?

I am in a full on relationship with my Fender Big Apple Strat haha! That guitar feels so perfect to me when I play it and I love the fact that it has double humbuckers in it. It’s so versatile and can be used for every genre. I can play beautiful clean chords then bust into a distorted heavy rock solo! It’s great!

Any final words?

It has been so great to finally be able to tour again and I’m looking forward to rocking out with more of you soon. Keep an eye out for my next single “Monsters” which will be dropping at the end of October! It’s by far my favorite song yet and is so guitar driven!

https://arielbellvalaire.com/ https://www.paradisekittyband.com/

JACK LUE PHOTOGRAPHY PRESENTED BY HIGHWIRE DAZE MAGAZINE