Shorty shake-up BELLA'S BEHAVING BADLY!

She's performed with singing legends and now she's ready for the next stage in her life - as a soap villain

- Elise Cacace

She’s carved a name for herself as a singer, performing at Glastonbury and alongside John Mayer and Chaka Khan, but the most recent string to Bella Kalolo-Suraj’s bow is not with her guitar and microphone, but as an actor on Shortland Street.

“I loved the thought of getting in touch with that side of me,” Bella says of her dramatic career change. “I absolutely love acting and definitely want to stay here for a bit.”

In the beloved Kiwi soap, Bella plays Selina – “trouble with a capital T!” – the sassy sister to Viliami To’a, played by Theo David. Coincidentally, the pair have a real-world connection in addition to being onscreen siblings.

“We actually share a family!” marvels Bella. “Theo’s brother is engaged to my niece. I was like, ‘I’m pretty sure I’ve met you before over the years.’ It’s so cool to have that relationship both on and off-screen.”

Playing Selina has been a whirlwind introduction to soap acting for the experienced musician – and Bella admits it’s sometimes been a stretch to act out some of her character’s less-than admirable personality flaws.

“The moral scale doesn’t compute sometimes,” she muses. “You’re portraying someone who does things you wouldn’t naturally do.