Bella McCormick, a University of Mississippi alumna, headlined her first show at Proud Larry’s in Oxford on Thursday, Sept. 10. The country artist performed original songs and several covers.
McCormick was born and raised in Nashville, a city known for producing country music icons. She values the impact the city has had on her music career.
“Having grown up (in Nashville), I was definitely always around country music,” McCormick said. “It is a music city, so it’s literally everywhere. Nashville definitely shaped that.”
The country singer nearly did not attend the University of Mississippi; she was intrigued by the musical opportunities at Belmont University, a college in Nashville with a prominent music program. Still, McCormick decided to pursue her education in journalism at UM.
“I almost went (to Belmont University), and everyone kind of thought that I would,” McCormick said. “But I’m really grateful that I didn’t study music, and I’m really grateful that I went to Ole Miss because I met so many people and I gained so much confidence, and I actually had songs to write.”
Majoring in journalism helped McCormick do what she loves most: write. Journalism gave her a way to tell stories that everyone could understand.
“I actually chose journalism because I loved writing, and I write all of my songs,” McCormick said. “I think because of my journalism degree, I’m able to capture the essence of a story from a non-biased point of view and tell a story where everyone can understand it in a set amount of words and time.”
Gavin Gallegos/The Daily Mississippian Photo Desk
According to McCormick, the road to the stage has been a journey full of hard work, inspiration and challenge. She attributed much of her music trajectory to her experiences in Oxford.
“I lived enough and experienced enough that I had stuff to write about,” McCormick said. “I would never be where I am if it weren’t for Oxford.”
One of the biggest challenges McCormick faced during her time at the university was the death of her father.
“(My father) passed away when I was a senior at Ole Miss, and that was very difficult for me because I kind of had a moment of, like, ‘How am I going to do this without my person that guided me in that sense?’” McCormick said.
McCormick’s love for music sprang from her father. Music was a major part of their relationship.
“My dad really influenced me a lot just because he loved music so much, and it was kind of something that we did together,” McCormick said. “He taught me how to play guitar, and he used to write songs, too.”
After her father’s death, McCormick embraced the Oxford community and continued pursuing songwriting.
“I ended up really leaning into my community and, again, that’s why I’m so grateful for Ole Miss and the people that I met,” McCormick said. “My family was amazing, and I ended up deciding, you know, this is what (my father) wanted for me so badly. Instead of letting (his death) be something that I’m going to be sad about, I ended up making it kind of my ‘why.’”
McCormick graduated in spring 2025. She moved back to Nashville to write and record music. She considers returning to her college town to perform at Proud Larry’s a notable achievement in her music career.
“It was so much fun; it was incredible to see,” McCormick said. “I got to see my sister and her friends in the front, and I got to see girls that were in my sorority pledge class, and guys that I hadn’t seen in years.”
McCormick has continued to grow in popularity across the South, but particularly at her alma mater. Returning to Oxford gave her a visual sense of her growth, and she particularly appreciated all of the new faces she saw in the crowd.
“I also got to see something really great, which was younger people that I don’t know,” McCormick said. “They’re a stranger to me, but I’m not a stranger to them.”
McCormick plans to release new music and tour in the upcoming months.
“I think my goal is to just keep writing and making good music, because I think that if you have a good song, then the rest will follow,” McCormick said.
