Bells Larsen

Bells Larsen
Born1997 or 1998 (age 28–29)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genreindie folk
Occupations
  • musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • voice
  • guitar
Years active2021 (2021)–present
Labels
WebsiteOfficial website

Bells Larsen (born 1997 or 1998) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, originally from Toronto, Ontario, and currently based in Montreal, Quebec.

Early life and family

Bells Larson was born in Toronto. 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. 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. 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.

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.

He subsequently signed to Royal Mountain Records, which released his second full-length album Blurring Time in 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 voices.

The album was to have been supported by a concert tour of both Canada and the United States; 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.

Blurring Time was longlisted for the 2025 Polaris Music Prize. In May 2026, Larsen released a short film tilted Blurring Time (the documentary), based on the 2025 album.

In 2025, Larsen, his father Andrew, and illustrator Tallulah Fontaine published the children's book Call Me Gray. The book was a shortlisted finalist for the Governor General's Award for Children's Illustration at the 2026 Governor General's Awards.

Artistry

Larsen cites Elliott Smith, Nick Drake, Sufjan Stevens, and Adrianne Lenker as major influences in his music.

Personal life

Larsen is a trans man.

Discography

Notes

  1. ↑ Larsen uses he/him and they/them pronouns. This article uses he/him for consistency.

References

  1. ↑ Campbell, Caleb (2023-05-30). "Premiere: Bells Larsen Shares New Single "Ten Hands"". Under the Radar Magazine. Retrieved 2026-11-06.
  2. ↑ Odgers, Eliot (April 24, 2025). "Start Listening To: Bells Larsen". Still Listening. Retrieved 2026-11-06.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Demopoulos, Alaina (2025-04-23). "Trans musician Bells Larsen was forced to cancel his US tour: 'My livelihood has been robbed'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  4. 1 2 "Q&A: Bells Larsen Zooms In". Paste Magazine. Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  5. ↑ ""Why Not Both?": Bells Larsen on Blurring Time and Embracing Change". The JUNO Awards. Retrieved 2026-11-06.
  6. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-11-06.
  7. ↑ "Bells Larsen". Kids Can Press. Retrieved 2026-11-06.
  8. 1 2 3 Mughal, Alisha (2025-04-24). "Bells Larsen Embraces Self-Discovery on His Own Timeline: "We're All in Flux" │ Exclaim!". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 2025-05-17. Retrieved 2026-11-06.
  9. ↑ Larsen, Bells (2025-04-25). "My new album is out now". Soundcheck (notes from Bells). Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  10. ↑ Higgins, Kayla (2022-06-07). "Toronto's Bells Larsen Announces Debut Album 'Good Grief,' Shares Star-Crossed Single │ Exclaim!". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 2025-07-15. Retrieved 2026-11-06.
  11. ↑ Wilkinson, Kane (2022-12-15). "INTERVIEW: "I've always been this, I've always been me" – Bells Larsen Turns Tragedy & Change Into Art On Latest Album 'Good Grief' | Dusty Organ". Retrieved 2026-05-14.
  12. 1 2 Okazawa, Ben (2023-05-30). "Bells Larsen Announces New EP 'If I Was, I Am,' Shares Lead Single │ Exclaim!". Bells Larsen Announces New EP 'If I Was, I Am,' Shares Lead Single │ Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 2025-10-07. Retrieved 2026-11-06.
  13. ↑ Okazawa, Ben (2024-02-07). "Listen to Bells Larsen Cover Rostam's "Bike Dream" │ Exclaim!". Retrieved November 6, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ↑ Lapierre, Megan (2025-01-30). "Bells Larsen Details Sophomore Album 'Blurring Time' │ Exclaim!". Retrieved November 6, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ↑ CBC (May 1, 2025). "Why Bells Larsen decided to sing duets with his past self". Q. Retrieved 2026-11-06.
  16. ↑ Kinza, Zafar (2025-03-12). "Bells Larsen Books North American Tour │ Exclaim!". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 2025-04-27. Retrieved 2026-11-06.
  17. ↑ Eqbal, Amelia (April 17, 2025). "Bells Larsen tells us what it was like being forced to cancel his U.S. tour". CBC Arts. Retrieved 2026-11-06.
  18. ↑ Ould-Hammou, Hénia (April 13, 2025). "Montreal artist cancels U.S. tour over visa policies targeting his gender identity". CBC News. Retrieved 2026-11-06.
  19. ↑ Gregory, Allie (2025-06-10). "Polaris Music Prize Unveils 2025 Long List, Announces Song Prize │ Exclaim!". Polaris Music Prize Unveils 2025 Long List, Announces Song Prize │ Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 2025-09-17. Retrieved 2026-11-06.
  20. ↑ Rogers, Karlie (13 May 2026). "Bells Larsen Releases 'Blurring Time (the documentary)'". Exclaim!. Retrieved 13 May 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ↑ Sawler, Sal (October 22, 2025). "Call Me Gray - Quill and Quire". Quill & Quire. Retrieved 2026-11-06.
  22. ↑ Kliot, Talia (October 28, 2026). "Canisia Lubrin, David A. Robertson and Miriam Toews shortlisted for $25K Governor General's Literary Awards". CBC Books. Retrieved 2026-11-06.