LAURA BEGLEY has punctuated her return to the music scene with a decidedly chilled-out debut track – Feeling the Same.

The Stirling singer has also taken on a new sound and a new image – under the name Elle Bee – and hopes to find herself back on stage at some point this year.

It is a comeback a few years in the making, as the singer rose to some prominence after featuring on The Voice. Though she sidestepped the music industry for a period after that, she feels it is the perfect time to flex her creative muscles once again.

Her latest material – which shows off her more dreamy, electro-pop side – may well take some by surprise in terms of its tone. But the 27-year-old reckons it will capture the attention of those she had reached before, as well as new audiences.

"I wanted to rebrand myself," she tells The Weekender. "I didn't really want to go by my real name just because of The Voice stuff. That's what I'm known for in my local area, so I just wanted to move away from that and get a fresh start, basically."

Of course, Begley took part in the TV show back in 2016, only just missing out on a place in the final round. Interest in the singer, both locally and across Scotland was massive – especially as the season before was won by compatriot and fellow Forth Valley singer Stevie McCrorie.

It wasn't to be for Begley, but she was able to enjoy huge nationwide exposure. A big break on the back of that show did not materialise, though she feels that experience came with some valuable lessons. Nevertheless, it did take a toll on her.

Begley looks back: "It was a lot of pressure for me at the time, so I didn't handle it very well afterwards. I'm quite an anxious person anyway, so it was quite a lot to deal with. I didn't really have much confidence in the first place, and I put a lot of pressure on myself sometimes.

"I was always a little insecure about my own songwriting, so I had never really done anything with that. Also, I think I had higher expectations of what would have happened after The Voice, but it's just a TV show and it's for entertainment purposes.

"I did enjoy certain aspects of it; it was a good experience, but afterwards was a low point for me. I don't regret it; I met loads of people, and I've been on national TV, so I can't be like: 'Oh, I wish I'd never done it'. But it's just one of those things."

While her first foray into the music industry had its ups and downs, Begley was always adamant she would find herself back there again – but on her own terms.

There followed a period of reflection and maturity. She went on her travels, became a little more enriched with culture and returned to Stirling with a renewed confidence in herself.

"I never really took myself away from it completely," she adds. "I'm always singing; I never stop singing. I've always been doing wee gigs, here and there.

"After The Voice, I just stuck to covers and played the pub circuit, but I wanted to be doing my own stuff.

"I took a bit of a break and went travelling. But when I was away, I started writing my own music and then, I guess, found my passion for it again.

"It's actually taken me a while to get to this point where I feel ready to put my own music out and I'm quite confident with it."

Begley speaks with great enthusiasm as she opens up on the next chapter of her musical journey. She began working in collaboration with other artists and released her first track as Elle Bee earlier this month, in the form of Feeling the Same. It is a move into new territory with easy-going tones and synth-heavy vibes and Begley's vocals floating on top.

With the summer months approaching, it was certainly a good time to release a feelgood tune, which was the product a lot of hard work between the singer and Stephen McLellan.

"I feel it's kind of poppy," she says. "My melodies are poppy, it's hard to kind of pinpoint it. I get that summery vibe from Feeling the Same; I get a peaceful and chilled kind of vibe from it.

"I'm quite diverse when it comes to music. When I was in the band, I loved all that kind of stuff. The band had an electronic vibe to it because we had synthesisers, so, I always enjoyed that.

"People haven't really heard from me in a while, but I think they will be pleasantly surprised. It's like a totally new start."

Begley is keen to make a return to the stage – as Elle Bee – and is looking to link up with McLellan for a few more songs.

She adds: "It will take time to get a full set, obviously, we'd need 6 or 7 songs, so this is the first one, but we are working on more. And I love playing live; that's what I'm looking to in the future – playing live again.

"It's just good to get something out there. We were going to wait but people are going to be in their houses or they're on social media all the time so it could be quite a good time for people to tune in and listen. I'm really impatient, as well, I just want people to hear it."

Feeling the Same is available to steam online now.