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With her hit song “iloveitiloveitiloveit” reaching No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, Bella Kay is breaking out & breaking through. The singer-songwriter sits down with Billboard Up & Coming host Kyle Denis to discuss the making of her breakout album, 'My Reckless Abandon,' where she finds inspiration and what it’s like sharing her music on social media. From college coffeehouse performances to opening for Noah Kahan and Gracie Abrams, Kay opens up about the experiences and influences shaping her as an artist.
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00:00Welcome to the Billboard Up and Coming podcast, your go-to stop for the key moments and stories behind music's
00:05hottest new stars.
00:06I'm your host, Kyle Dennis, and our guest today is one of the biggest breakout stars of 2026.
00:12With her incisive, gut-punching songwriting and wide range of sonic influences,
00:17this Texas-born alt-pop artist has quickly won over fans, including some famous ones like SZA and Noah Kahn.
00:23In December 2025, Bella K. posted a TikTok teasing a new single called I Love It, I Love It, I
00:29Love It.
00:30Over the next few weeks, she continued teasing the song's chorus, generating widespread attention on TikTok, ahead of its official
00:35release on January 11th.
00:37In less than a year, I Love It, I Love It, I Love It has earned over $240 million official
00:42on-demand U.S. streams,
00:43peaking at number two on Hot Rock and Alternative Songs and at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100.
00:48In July, she released her My Reckless Abandoned debut album, which she co-wrote entirely with close collaborator Ida Rose.
00:54The following month, she landed a spot on Billboard's 21 Under 21 list,
00:58adding to a list of achievements that includes three weeks at number one on the Emerging Artist Chart
01:03and a Best New Artist nomination at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.
01:09Bella K., welcome to Up and Coming. How are you feeling?
01:11Good. Thank you for having me.
01:12Thank you for being here.
01:14To start off, we're going to play this little game called the Come Up Card Game.
01:17It's one of my favorite ones.
01:18Basically, you're going to point to one of these.
01:20Each of them has a different career milestone on the back.
01:22You're going to tell the story behind that career milestone.
01:24So you point, and I'll draw it for you.
01:26Let's do the one in the middle.
01:29One in the middle right here?
01:29Yes.
01:30All right.
01:30We got your first major co-sign.
01:33What's the story behind that?
01:37I guess my first major co-sign might have been when Noah Kahn wanted me to open for him.
01:44Get out of here.
01:46How does he reach out to you?
01:48Well, still haven't spoken to the man, the myth, the legend himself.
01:52But his team reached out to my team.
01:54And I don't know.
01:55It was just so cool to know that he thought of me.
01:57And I don't know.
01:58I was like, whoa.
01:59He knows who I am and thinks I'm kind of cool.
02:01And he's playing stadiums now.
02:03Oh, my God.
02:03Yeah.
02:04How are you feeling about that?
02:05I'm excited.
02:06A little bit nervous.
02:07It'll be the biggest crowds ever for me.
02:11But I'm excited.
02:12I can't wait.
02:13Yeah.
02:13I feel like you just have to be excited for something like that.
02:15It's just Noah Kahn.
02:16All right.
02:17Next card.
02:18Let's do the one on the end.
02:19Right here?
02:20Yes.
02:21Your very first show.
02:24Wait, what was that reaction?
02:26My very first show was fun in the way of like, oh, my gosh, I'm like living my dream.
02:34But it was definitely really scary.
02:36Where were we?
02:37When is this?
02:37I was in Canada, I think.
02:39Wow.
02:40And I was opening for Monrovia and it just was like really scary because it was like,
02:47oh, my gosh, like, hey, like I'm opening.
02:50So, like, this is my crowd.
02:50But that part actually kind of helps because it's like when you're nervous, you're like,
02:54OK, like these people don't even care about me.
02:55They don't even know who I am.
02:57But I just remember being really nervous.
02:58I had a lot of fun and like that tour was amazing.
03:01But the first show, I was like just like shaking my boots all the time.
03:03Wow.
03:04What do you think was the biggest takeaway from that experience?
03:08I think it's it was that it's like important to have fun and like nobody wants to see you
03:12fail.
03:13Yeah.
03:13And like it's important to just like go up there and do what you do.
03:17Yeah.
03:17Important lesson for when you know you're a rising star.
03:20Absolutely.
03:21Absolutely.
03:22You got one more.
03:23OK.
03:23One more.
03:23Let's do that one.
03:26Where are we?
03:27A little one more over.
03:29One more over.
03:30One more over.
03:31Yep.
03:33Your first fan page or fan edit.
03:35OK.
03:36Do you remember this?
03:37I do remember my first fan page.
03:39My first fan page was a lovely one of my favorite fans of all time.
03:45A lovely girl named Jossie.
03:47And it was like when I was really starting out and she just was like she really loved
03:51the songs I was making and putting out.
03:53And I just remember her being like such a awesome supporter and like her making all these
03:57little TikToks.
03:58And I was like, oh, my gosh, like people like know who I am.
04:01But yeah.
04:02That's crazy.
04:03Are you still getting a lot of like edits with new songs from the album?
04:06Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:06For sure.
04:07What's your favorite one?
04:07It's cool to see like the fandom grow for sure.
04:10Edits wise, I love to see there's a lot of like Hercules edits.
04:13Ooh.
04:14And I'm like, OK, OK.
04:15I wouldn't have called that.
04:16I know me either.
04:16But there's like a lot.
04:18Wow.
04:18Like I was like, I'm kind of like, who's making these?
04:21But it's fire.
04:22I think it's amazing.
04:22That's amazing.
04:23Yeah.
04:24I love it.
04:24We're going to transition to our next game, which is called If You Like This, Try Me.
04:29I'm going to give examples of three different songs.
04:30And if people like those kinds of songs, you give me a song from your catalog that they may like.
04:35OK, amazing.
04:35All right.
04:36Yeah.
04:36So if you like What Now by Rihanna, you may like.
04:42You may like Tongue by me.
04:45I like that.
04:46Yeah.
04:46I like that.
04:47OK.
04:47If you like The Cure by Olivia Rodrigo, you may like.
04:55I'm going to say you may like I Love It, I Love It, I Love It by me.
04:59All right.
04:59Last one.
05:00If you like Ceilings by Lizzie McAlpine, you may like.
05:05I'm going to probably go The Cic by me.
05:08Hell yeah.
05:09Hell yeah.
05:09I mean, The Cic kind of is like the starting point for a lot of your stories.
05:12So I guess we should transition to the interview portion of this.
05:15Please.
05:15Let's dig in.
05:17All right.
05:18I want to go all the way back to the beginning.
05:19I heard you moved around a lot growing up.
05:21Is that true?
05:22Yeah.
05:22Very true.
05:23Talk to me about that a bit.
05:24I was in and out of a lot of schools when I was younger.
05:27I think I went to a different school every year of middle school.
05:31Wow.
05:31Yeah.
05:33And elementary, I think I went to like three different schools throughout it.
05:37And I was also like homeschooled for a bit.
05:39I've like.
05:39You've done it all.
05:40Yeah.
05:40But then high school, I stayed the whole time.
05:42So that was nice.
05:43That was good.
05:44But yeah, moved a lot.
05:45So for a moment, you were like kind of constantly playing the new girl at school in a way.
05:49What was that like?
05:50It was really hard.
05:51I think it was hard because you don't really like, you can't really connect with like people
05:57because you're there for like whatever, like nine months a year and then you leave.
06:01Yeah.
06:01And like you make friends, but then it's like, it's hard to keep in touch and like you're
06:04so young.
06:04And there are like established circles in the school sometimes too.
06:07Yeah, no.
06:07It was like terrible.
06:09But it did force me to like really not be introverted.
06:12Like you can't afford to be because you won't have friends until like whatever, seven months
06:17in if you do that.
06:17And so it forced me to really like get out of my shell and like meet new people and like
06:22become the person I am today.
06:23Yeah.
06:24So we're in Texas at that time.
06:25Tell us about Texas in the mid 2000s.
06:28What was going on back there?
06:29What a typical day in the life of Bella K looked like back then?
06:31When I was in school, Texas was like, I was very like, I wasn't in like Yeehaw, Texas.
06:36I was in like city, suburbia, Texas.
06:41But it was, I feel like just kind of like average childhood life.
06:45I would like wake up, make my breakfast, go to school.
06:49And then I would, I would play volleyball and yeah, I would try my best in school, go
06:57home and yeah.
07:01It was, it was fun.
07:03I, I loved, I did a lot of sports growing up just cause like it was good to, I don't
07:07know, get out of the house.
07:08My parents loved to go to games, but yeah, it was fun.
07:12Yeah.
07:13I was doing some scrolling on your Instagram page.
07:15I looked at your birthday cake last year.
07:17I think I saw Henry Danger.
07:20Were you a big Henry Danger girl?
07:21I love Henry Danger.
07:23I was a huge like show girl growing up.
07:25I love to watch shows, especially like Nickelodeon and Disney Channel.
07:29Love Henry Danger, love Victorious.
07:31Oh yeah.
07:31That's my favorite.
07:32That's on the Mount Rushmore right there.
07:33Favorite show of all time.
07:35Yeah.
07:35So you must be a big Ariana girly.
07:37Well, yes.
07:37Who is it?
07:38Well, yes.
07:39Did you have many siblings?
07:41I have two brothers.
07:42Okay.
07:43Older or younger?
07:43Younger.
07:44Wow.
07:45Do you think people clock you as the oldest sibling?
07:47I don't think they would.
07:48Really?
07:49No?
07:49Do I seem mature?
07:50I give, you give, you give older.
07:52I wasn't going to clock you as like middle or younger.
07:53Older felt right.
07:54Okay.
07:55Okay.
07:55I feel like people that actually know me, but I feel like my like online, what people
07:59have seen, they're like, oh, she's so silly.
08:00And I feel like that is like giving younger maybe, but maybe I have a skewed perception
08:05of myself.
08:05Yeah.
08:06So older, only girl though.
08:07Yeah.
08:07What was that like?
08:09Honestly, it was fire because I didn't have to like share clothes and like, I don't
08:12know.
08:12I don't know what it would have been like if I had a sister, but I feel like I would
08:15have
08:15fought a lot with her and I still fight with my brothers, but it's more like, I just
08:19tell them what to do and they do it.
08:20I think like if I had a sister, she would have like been more, I don't know.
08:24Just assuming.
08:24But I say the same thing.
08:26I'm the only, I'm the only boy.
08:27I have all sisters.
08:28Yeah.
08:28And I was like, yeah, I didn't have to share clothes, but I also feel like if I had a
08:31brother,
08:31we'd be brawling.
08:32Yeah.
08:33We would be fighting.
08:35Now, did you play into this like new girl thing at school or did you kind of, did you
08:40loathe it at all?
08:41I definitely didn't like it.
08:43Yeah.
08:43I think it was kind of cool to get to like change yourself up a lot.
08:51And I, it's not like I was like, but like when you're growing up, you don't know who
08:53you are.
08:54And so I was kind of like, okay, like it was easy for me to figure out like different like
08:58versions of myself, but it also really helped me connect with like my inner self and get
09:04to know myself.
09:05Cause most of the time I was just like by myself spending time with myself and like getting
09:09to figure out who I was on my own time without the like pressure of like peers and like having
09:15to like grow up around other people.
09:16But yeah, I think I did play into the new girl thing a lot because I was just constantly
09:20the new girl.
09:21And I was like, yeah, this is like my fifth school this year.
09:23I'm like, what?
09:25You were like on the mysterious new girl.
09:27Yeah.
09:27I like that.
09:28I like that.
09:29So there's a little bit more stability in high school.
09:31Talk to me about those years.
09:32How did we get there?
09:33What are you listening to at this time?
09:34Yeah.
09:35High school was honestly super pivotal just for like my life and like the things that
09:40the way that things went.
09:43But I get into high school, the first year was COVID.
09:46So that year was great for me artist wise because I really fell in love with songwriting
09:53over that year.
09:53And I was just like, okay, what am I going to do with all this time?
09:57I like pick up a guitar and I just start playing it and it becomes my new hobby.
10:02And I was terrible with hobbies.
10:03He's everything I'd done before this.
10:05I had never really like stuck with.
10:08And I just loved songwriting.
10:10I really fell in love with it.
10:10I was listening to a lot of Lizzie.
10:12I was listening to a lot of Olivia.
10:14Nice.
10:15A lot of Gracie, BB, all the grits.
10:18A lot of those early pandemic like virtual songwriters.
10:21It was a moment in time.
10:22It was.
10:23And then I go back to school and I join theater because I was like, okay, I want to be
10:29songwriter.
10:30Like that was my goal.
10:30And I was like, what's the closest thing to that?
10:32Because they don't have like a songwriting program.
10:34It's like public school in Texas.
10:35I was like, okay, I can either do band or I can do theater.
10:37And I was like, let me do theater because that's more like stage.
10:40And like, you're still singing.
10:41I was like, band.
10:42I don't know if that's really like, whatever.
10:44So I do theater and it was great.
10:46I really got to like act and like figure out what it was like to like be on a stage.
10:53And I, we had this thing called Coffee House.
10:56We had Coffee House too on campus.
10:57I remember this.
10:58And I would, I remember the first time I did a Coffee House, I'm singing my own original
11:02song that I wrote and I get done and everyone's like, dude.
11:06And they're like, that's like really good.
11:08And I was like, she's really good.
11:10She's really good.
11:11I was like, okay.
11:12And I was like, maybe I could like actually do this.
11:15Um, and like it would become a tradition.
11:18Every Coffee House, I would sing my own original song.
11:20Not all great, but I would do it.
11:22And I just was like, okay, like, I think I could do this.
11:24Like, I think this is what I want to do.
11:26And so then later high school years, I'm like, okay, how do I become a songwriter?
11:30And I had no idea.
11:31I was like, I don't understand this without like, I had no idea how to get there.
11:35And so I was like, okay, I guess I'll become a lawyer because I don't really know what to
11:39do.
11:39So I kind of like gave up on my dreams for a second there.
11:41Yeah.
11:42That was my high school.
11:42Were you like super committed to the pre-law track or were you like pre-law and name
11:46only?
11:47I was pre-law and name only.
11:50It might've been a name only situation.
11:53So digging into the songwriting a little bit more, what is it about that process that
11:57you like so much?
12:00It's definitely changed over the years, but as a whole, I think songwriting is just like
12:06my diary and it's like how I express myself when I'm feeling a certain way.
12:11And when I feel like, oh, no one understands me or like, I don't know how to like deal with
12:15this emotion.
12:16It's really how I like convey it to the world and like to myself.
12:21Honestly, I think sometimes I'll, I won't know, I feel a certain way or that something
12:25is happening to me until I'm like playing my guitar and I write it out.
12:28There's been moments where I'll like write a line and I'm like, and I have to like sit
12:31like head in hands and I'm like, I didn't know this was happening.
12:36Um, but yeah, it's, it's just like, I don't know.
12:40It's my favorite thing in the world.
12:42And once I started, I couldn't stop.
12:44Yeah.
12:45What elements of songwriting are you most drawn to?
12:47Is it the melody of it?
12:48Is it the lyricism?
12:49Is it metaphor?
12:51What's your favorite thing to do when it comes to crafting these songs?
12:55It's definitely lyricism.
12:56I feel like, especially the way I like fell in love with songwriting, it was very lyric
13:00heavy, especially like the people I was looking up to.
13:03And I think when I first started this as like an artist in a job, I had to like quickly
13:06learn like, oh, like there's things kind of like, not necessarily rules you have to
13:10follow, but like other things, like lyrics aren't the only important thing to like make
13:14a great song.
13:15And I was like, okay, I had to learn that pretty quick, but I just really loved lyrics.
13:20Absolutely.
13:20Yeah.
13:21Absolutely.
13:21Now, when it comes to the songs that, you know, had the most profound impact on you as
13:26a person, what was the first song that you remember getting stuck in your head as a kid?
13:29Hmm.
13:31Well, when I was younger, I really loved Ariana Grande and Rihanna.
13:35I love Stay by Rihanna still to this day.
13:38And when I was younger, I was like, it would just play on the radio all the time.
13:40And I was like, it's the best song I've ever made.
13:42And it was my favorite when it would come on.
13:44Wow.
13:44And then Ariana, I, over the years, I just like kept being like, dang, this girl got
13:48bangers.
13:49But I think the first one I can remember was probably Problems.
13:52Oh, yes.
13:53And I was like, I was like, who is this girl?
13:55I was like, this is Kat from Victorious.
13:57I was like, what the heck?
14:00But yeah.
14:01That's incredible.
14:02That's incredible.
14:03That's incredible.
14:03So did you make it out to the Eternal Sunshine tour?
14:06I did.
14:07Thoughts?
14:07What was that experience like?
14:09I thought it was a fire.
14:09I got myself the little yellow t-shirt.
14:13But yeah, I thought it was amazing.
14:15She's just an insane vocalist.
14:17And yeah, it was cool to see someone that I looked up to so much.
14:19Yeah.
14:20So from those early Coffeehouse performances, did any of those songs survive to eventual
14:24release?
14:25No.
14:25No, not even one of them.
14:28So I guess we got to go straight to the sick.
14:30Yeah.
14:30How did we land there?
14:31Do you remember the writing process for that song?
14:34Yeah, I do.
14:35So it's actually funny.
14:37There was a lyric.
14:38There's only like two lyrics in the sick that were written before the rest of it.
14:42Like the main part of it was written.
14:43It's like in the bridge, the If You Love Me and Why Did You Never Call.
14:46I remember I was like so sad over this breakup.
14:50And I wrote that part of the song like months before the rest of it was written.
14:55And I was just literally like sobbing.
14:57And I was like, what?
15:00And usually I don't write like that.
15:01Usually I don't.
15:02I'm not like crying as I write.
15:03But that one, I was like, that was really sad for me.
15:06Anyway, fast forward a couple months.
15:08I'm writing the sick in my bedroom.
15:11And I'm kind of like, okay, let me see.
15:14Like, I remember I was about to go to sleep.
15:17And I had the thought, you were wrong for what you did to me.
15:19But I was like, for kind of liking it.
15:20And I was like, okay, bar.
15:22Let me write that down.
15:23And because I was literally about to fall asleep.
15:25And I was like, should I wake up and like put this in my notes app?
15:27And I was like, fine, I will.
15:28I wake up.
15:29I write it down.
15:30Go to sleep.
15:30In the morning, I write it out.
15:32And I write out the chorus.
15:33And I think I wrote out the verse too.
15:35And it kind of just whatever.
15:37And I like pieced together the If You Love Me and whatever.
15:39All the stuff.
15:40Yeah.
15:40It really like came together in one.
15:43Yeah.
15:43How quickly did you like post that first snippet to TikTok?
15:46I posted immediately.
15:46Wow.
15:47Do you normally post immediately?
15:49Not as much as I used to.
15:51But I did.
15:54I did.
15:55When I'm like, this is good.
15:56I will.
15:57Because I change my mind a lot.
15:59So it's like, I don't want to post something.
16:02I'm like, I like this 70%.
16:03Like if I post it immediately, it's the next thing.
16:07Because like I did that with the sick.
16:08I did that with I Love It.
16:09And I was like, this is like, I think it's amazing.
16:12You know what I mean?
16:13Yeah.
16:13So yeah.
16:14Insane.
16:14When was it clear to you that the sick was really starting to blow in a different way
16:18on TikTok?
16:18People were really gravitating towards this song.
16:20It's funny because right before the sick was blowing up, I actually posted Lonely, which
16:25is like deep cut.
16:26But it was the first song I ever had go like viral.
16:29Right.
16:29Because every video I had before that was getting like whatever, like 200 likes max.
16:34And so Lonely, I post Lonely and it gets like 100k likes.
16:38And I was like, whoa.
16:38I was like, my life is going to change.
16:40Yeah.
16:40And it did.
16:41But then I post the sick and that was like a different kind of like monster.
16:45I was like, because I posted the sick like a couple days after Lonely, like maybe a week.
16:49Wow.
16:49Yeah.
16:50It's a really short timeline.
16:51Well, because I was like, okay, like I, people are looking at me like, let me keep the train
16:54going.
16:54I was like, forget about Lonely.
16:55I was like, I have better songs than this.
16:56The momentum.
16:57And so I put out, I posted sick on TikTok and it was just like a different beast.
17:03Everyone was like, forget Lonely.
17:04When is this coming out?
17:05I was like, I don't know.
17:07Um, but yeah, it was, it was crazy.
17:11I think it was when I saw other people making videos with the audio and like people started
17:15making edits with just the like song clip that I had posted.
17:19It wasn't like a professional.
17:20Wow.
17:20And so I was like, oh, this is like a monster.
17:23What do you think it was about the song that was resonating with people so deeply?
17:27I think the lyricism.
17:28And I also think like it has this like realness to it.
17:34Like it's got kind of like grit, but it also just feels like, I feel like when you hear
17:38it, you're like, uh, either if you've gone through it or not, like you're like, I know
17:42what she's feeling.
17:43It's a gut punch.
17:44Yeah.
17:44It really is.
17:45Yeah.
17:46Now you also self-released an EP not too shortly after the sick, right?
17:49What was some of the most interesting takeaways in terms of navigating the industry without
17:53a label at that point?
17:55Oh, I had.
17:55You had a label at that point.
17:56I've been signed.
17:57You had been signed.
17:57Yeah, yeah, yeah.
17:58So when did Atlantic reach out?
17:59They reached out prior to me putting out the sick.
18:04Wow.
18:05Yeah.
18:05Do you know what caught their attention at all?
18:07Was it just videos you've been posting before?
18:09They had reached out after lonely, I think.
18:13And then the sick happened.
18:14And then it was like, okay, like a lot of like momentum was happening around me.
18:18And it was, it was honestly really hectic at the time, but I was talking to a lot of
18:21people and I just like fell in love with Atlantic.
18:25Like the A&R was so passionate and like, it felt like it was a really good fit and it
18:30just felt like he saw my vision.
18:31Cause I think when I first started, I would like go into these meetings and they'd be
18:35like, who are your, like, um, your role models?
18:38Like what's a career you look up to?
18:40And I would be like, Sabrina Garbender.
18:41And they'd be like, what do you mean?
18:44Cause they would be like, okay.
18:45Like this acoustic guitar girl, like they probably thought I was going to be like, no
18:47con, whatever.
18:48And I love him.
18:49And I, he is, I think amazing, but it's not like necessarily, I feel like I like more pop
18:54than that.
18:55And I feel like I am more pop than that.
18:56And so I would go into these meetings and they'd be like, okay.
18:59They'd be like, sure.
18:59Yeah, totally.
19:00Why?
19:01They're like, that doesn't seem like you.
19:02And I was like, uh, you don't even know who I am.
19:04Like I posted two songs.
19:06Um, but Atlantic was like sick.
19:10They're like, okay.
19:11Like if that's your truth, like, let's do it.
19:13And so I felt really like good about that.
19:15Yeah.
19:17Then it was cool to kind of like have somebody to fall back on and like have people that
19:21like could give me advice for that first EP.
19:23Absolutely.
19:23You know, in that timeframe when things are getting that hectic, how do you ground yourself?
19:27How do you go about curating a team around you?
19:30Because I feel like everything's probably moving at a hundred thousand miles per hour
19:33at that point.
19:34Yeah.
19:34It was crazy.
19:35I think honestly, there's no like right answer because I had no idea what I was doing.
19:40And I remember I was leaning a lot on my parents because they were like, what is this?
19:44Because I was at the time only 19.
19:46And so, and then I had like just dropped out of college and it was like, it was a really
19:50like scary, but exciting time.
19:53And it was just kind of like figuring out who I was going to be.
19:56And like, I just felt really grateful.
19:57I was like, this, these are my, I'm living my dreams.
19:59Like, how can I complain?
20:01But yeah, it was just like really making sure that the people you had around me, I trusted.
20:06Yeah.
20:07Yeah.
20:07Did it feel like you kind of had blueprints laid out in a way with people like Livvy and
20:11Billy breaking through at really young ages as well?
20:13Or did it not feel like that because you were in it at the moment?
20:17I feel like you don't even, you can't even really fully grasp what's happening from an
20:21outside perspective.
20:22So at the time, no.
20:23Like if I could have like talked to somebody and they were like, oh, do this, do that,
20:28then that's different.
20:29But I feel like you have like, there's so many like little things and like, there's like
20:33contracts and there's like, this person is like good at this, but bad at this.
20:37And so like, oh, let's not do that.
20:39And it's just like so many different like rules.
20:41And it's also like when you are like becoming an artist and like having this like career,
20:48you don't want to like do the exact same thing that like Billy or Olivia did because that's
20:52not who you are and it probably won't work for you.
20:54Right.
20:55And so it's kind of like finding your own path, but making sure you don't make mistakes
20:59that, I don't know, people have made before.
21:02Absolutely.
21:03You got to get to December 2025.
21:06You post a little snippet.
21:07A little snippet.
21:08A little snippet for a song that becomes a monster of a hit.
21:13Talk to me about what you felt after you posted that snippet initially and did it feel like
21:17111111 was going to be such a massive breakthrough for you?
21:21I remember when I wrote it, I was like, this is pretty good.
21:24And I was like, okay, let me post it.
21:26I post it.
21:27Nobody cared.
21:28And I was like, well, I was like, okay, I guess it's bad.
21:31But I kept working on it because I was like, I love this song.
21:34I feel like it's great.
21:36But no, when I first posted I Love It, it was like, it wasn't even like, it wasn't even
21:40lonely.
21:41I was like, okay, nobody cares.
21:44But I kept, I went to the studio and I like finished it out.
21:47And then the magic really came alive.
21:49And I was like, okay, I feel like there's something here.
21:51That's so insane to me because I feel like you had to have known you made history with
21:55that first line.
21:56I was in the car.
21:59I was in the car.
21:59And I just had the thought.
22:01I was like, I like being used to means I have a purpose.
22:03And I was like, write that down.
22:04Like, write that down.
22:05Write that down.
22:07It's too good.
22:08It's too good.
22:09When it comes to, you know, having lines that kind of instantaneously come to you like
22:13that, is there a pressure to like make every next line feel like that?
22:17Or is that like, no, this is the centerpiece and we're going to build off of this?
22:21Yes and no.
22:22I feel like it depends.
22:23Sometimes it's like, I feel like with I Love It, I love that song so much because a lot
22:28of the songs I'm like, or the lyrics I'm like, ooh, ooh, ooh.
22:32You know what I mean?
22:32But to me, I don't want every single song to be like, okay, the whole time you're like,
22:36okay.
22:37Because then it's just like, sometimes I just want to listen to the melody and be like,
22:40I just want to vibe out.
22:41I don't want to be like thinking about it in a Shakespearean way.
22:44Those are my favorite songs, but I think it's the other kinds of songs have their place
22:48too.
22:48You also around this time, well, maybe it's not around this time, maybe it's a little bit
22:51before, but Ida Rose is a really close collaborative of yours.
22:55How do you two get in touch and how has your dynamic evolved over time?
22:59Well, it's crazy.
23:00She was one of my first sessions, like maybe like the seventh session I ever had when I was
23:04working in LA and we just kept, I kept going back because I just felt like there was really
23:09something there.
23:10And I was like, she's just like, so she gets me.
23:14Yeah.
23:14I was having a lot of these sessions.
23:15It felt like I wasn't really gotten or I wasn't like, I don't know, I would say things
23:19and it felt like wrong or weird.
23:21Were these like the first sessions after signing?
23:23Yeah.
23:24Got it.
23:24Yeah.
23:24And it would feel like wrong or weird and never like, it was always like a comfortable
23:27vibe, but I never felt necessarily like seen.
23:30And I remember I was working with her a lot and I was like, dude, like she really gets
23:34me.
23:34And like, it just felt amazing.
23:35And like, we were making songs that still felt like mine when I would walk out of the
23:39room.
23:40So yeah, she's just amazing.
23:41But over time, I think we've just gotten closer and closer and like, it's been more and more
23:46fun to make music.
23:47What do you remember about the first time you had to perform?
23:49I love it.
23:49I love it.
23:49I love it.
23:50Well, the first time I performed it, it wasn't out yet.
23:52And so I had only posted like the chorus on TikTok and I think the first verse and people
24:00were like, it's like, I performed at this like small venue in LA and like 60 people showed
24:08up and all the girls in the front row knew the lyrics to every single song.
24:13And it was so sweet and amazing.
24:14But I remember like coming off the stage and like someone said to me, it might've been either
24:19my manager or my A&R that was like.
24:22That one feels good.
24:24I love it.
24:24It feels good.
24:25And I was like, okay.
24:27I was like, whatever.
24:28But people say that though.
24:29And it's like, and then sometimes it doesn't happen.
24:31So you have to be like, okay, yeah.
24:33But I was like, whatever.
24:34And then it comes out a couple months later and it's crazy.
24:37And then it blows.
24:38Yeah.
24:38Yeah.
24:39You know, when things go viral on TikTok, is there any kind of stress internally where
24:43it's like, I hope this doesn't only live here and it does get to blow up beyond
24:47TikTok or doesn't become known as a TikTok song or me as a TikTok artist?
24:51I feel like honestly, yes.
24:54But also TikTok really is like such a huge driver of music these days.
24:58I feel like a lot of people don't realize that.
25:01And like a lot of people will be like, why are all the songs on Billboard all TikTok songs?
25:08It's like, well, TikTok, that's where a lot of people spend most of their time.
25:11So it's not necessarily like, oh, TikTok artists.
25:13Cause like, yes, that feels like not necessarily like a credible thing, but that's where a lot
25:18of people are having success these days.
25:20And I don't think it necessarily means it's a bad thing.
25:22It's just like, that's how people are finding music.
25:24Yeah.
25:25Yeah.
25:25You've spoken before about people thinking that I love it is a sad song.
25:29I never thought it was a sad song, but why do you think some people think it could,
25:33it could have a little bit of a melancholy bent to it?
25:35I can see how people think it's a sad song lyrically kind of, but to me, I'm like, okay,
25:40I'm smiling the whole song.
25:43You can like hear me be like, ah, you know what I mean?
25:45And, and all of like in the cover and all of the like TikToks I'm making, I'm like grinning
25:51ear to ear.
25:51And so I'm like, I don't understand how people hear this.
25:53And they're like, I'm just going to cry in my room.
25:55I'm like, this is a pop guys.
25:57No, like dance.
25:58So there's a crowd dance now when you perform the song?
26:01Oh yeah.
26:01I don't let them be sad.
26:03Oh, period.
26:03That's what the sick is for.
26:04Like that, it has its time and place.
26:06There we go.
26:07Yeah.
26:07There we go.
26:08Yeah.
26:08I want to go into the studio session.
26:10At least the first one that you thought for sure was going to be for my reckless abandon.
26:16What were the initial pressures of working on a debut album versus just working on songs
26:21independently of each other?
26:23Well, to be honest, I was always technically working on an album after the EP came out.
26:29I was always like, okay, well not before the EP came out, but like after the EP,
26:33EP was done, I was always working on an album.
26:35Okay.
26:35The second I went out to LA, I was always like, okay, this is for the album, but I'd never
26:39done it before.
26:39So I wasn't really like, okay, like this is, there's, this is going to happen and da, da,
26:43da.
26:44I was just like, yay, I'm going to make an album.
26:46I was like so excited.
26:48But yeah, I was just like going to this, into the studio and like seeing what felt right.
26:51I think now my process is really like, you just keep making songs until like you have
26:55ones that you're like, this feels like a cornerstone piece of the project.
26:59And like, it feels like where it can live and like what the body of work feels like.
27:03Honestly, it was a lot of like mess around and find out.
27:05What felt like a cornerstone of the album for Miracles Abandoned?
27:09I remember me and Alexis made Blur and I was like, Peter, I was like, oh, this is fire.
27:15And then there were a couple other, like there, I think there was like four because there
27:19were so many songs that got scrapped.
27:20Really?
27:20I think there were like four that lived on it forever.
27:23It was Blur, Father's Lament, and Promise.
27:31Those were like the three that I was like, okay, like, oh, and I love it.
27:35And I was like, okay, yeah, those are the ones that feel like Bella K.
27:39Yeah.
27:40Yeah.
27:40So when did we land on the title?
27:43Not until December.
27:44Oh, wow.
27:45Yeah.
27:45And I'd been working on it since September, technically.
27:49But it was December and I was with my mom or no, I had come up with it on my
27:55own and
27:56I presented it to my mom.
27:57I was like, I think I'm going to name it Miracles Abandoned.
28:00And she was like, Bella.
28:02And I was like, okay, mom approves.
28:05She's like, that's perfect.
28:06It's so you.
28:07And I was like, I know.
28:09But honestly, the title really kind of came off of I Love It because I was like, okay,
28:14I was just thinking about like.
28:15What I felt like was special about me as an artist and like things that I was going through
28:19at the time.
28:20And it really just felt like people really loved My Reckless Abandoned.
28:23And so I was like, okay, I'm just going to name the album that.
28:26I love that.
28:27I love that.
28:28So now that the album is out and it's set, how would you describe the Bella K sound?
28:32I feel like it's really what's cool is that I don't necessarily want to make just like,
28:38oh, guitar, vocal harmonies.
28:41I want it to feel like a little more pop than that.
28:43And I think that's kind of what's cool about the album and like the songs that I like to
28:48make and my favorite songs on the record feel a little bit more pop, but not all the way
28:52pop where it's like, okay, like this is like a pop diva.
28:56It's more just like, okay, she got like a little like, she, she can run in the circles.
29:03I love that.
29:04What was the song that made this album feel complete?
29:08Um, well, the last song was I deserve better.
29:10And it was really a struggle to find that song because the album was like coming out in like
29:16two and a half weeks.
29:17And they were like, dude, they were like, we need the song like tomorrow.
29:21And I was like, I need like three days.
29:23And they were like, and I had this other song that was not good.
29:27And I was like, and it was the last two were Swoo and I deserve better.
29:33And I deserve better was last.
29:35And I was in Canada and I wrote it on like my iPad, like keyboard.
29:40I like looked up keyboard app and I was like writing it on like these chords I was making
29:44on the iPad.
29:45And then I go to New York and I am in, I have a session with Alexander and Alexis and
29:52we finished the song and it just was like, this is the end.
29:55This is done.
29:56And it felt like a closing of the chapter.
29:58How about the, uh, the artwork?
29:59How did that one come together?
30:01Well, I, I'm a big Pinterest girl and there's this picture of this girl who's like, she's
30:07like on a toilet in a bathroom and she's like, and they're like, I was like, okay, you ate
30:14that.
30:14And so I was like, okay, I want to like be in the bathroom and I want to have like
30:17tights
30:17on.
30:18I want to be blue cause I love blue or teal.
30:20It was kind of just like inspired by the way it felt so like dirty and messy and had a
30:25cool
30:25edge to it.
30:25How would you say that your approach to songwriting and production has evolved from the sick to
30:30now?
30:30I feel like with the sick, I didn't have as much knowledge of like how to make a song.
30:35Like I kind of was just like, okay, it's going to be, I was like, let me just write on
30:39my
30:39guitar.
30:40And there is a certain magic to that.
30:41But I think I prefer how I do it now because I, there's a couple more like rules to it
30:46that I like to play by, whether that's like structure wise or melody wise.
30:51But honestly, it's just been like getting my reps in and like being able to go to the
30:54studio and like still being able to write by myself and like, oh, this is how I want
30:59a pre-course to sound.
31:00This is what I want my bridges to feel like.
31:02And like, oh, I wouldn't do that melody or, oh, let's try a different kind of melody today
31:06that I wouldn't normally do.
31:08What are some specific rules that you find yourself trying to buy by now?
31:11I feel like mostly it's like structure kind of things where it's like, okay, verse, pre-course.
31:17And sometimes I want to not, because it can get a little boring to like have the exact
31:22same structure for every single song, but it's mostly that and like changing the melody
31:26and like, okay, we do, we go high for the pre and then we kind of do this different thing
31:30for the chorus where it's like, it feels bigger.
31:32And I think it's cool to sometimes like go against the rules and be like, okay, let's
31:36do an anti-chorus or like, let's do, because sometimes you have to know the rules to like
31:40break them.
31:40Right.
31:41And also I feel like I've just learned a lot about like collaboration.
31:44You've been like real student mode.
31:46Yeah.
31:46I love that.
31:47You know, the first time I heard the album was at Electric Lady Studios when you did
31:51the listening session.
31:52And there were two songs that stuck with me from that day with A Father's Lament and
31:57Sleep for Dinner.
31:58I want to talk about A Father's Lament right now, because there's been so much conversation
32:02right now in terms of the contemporary pop scene and black girls being able to be perceived
32:08as pop and as black girls at the same time.
32:10And I thought it was so touching for you to address this head on and be like, no, I'm
32:16black baby girl, like, and I'm not going to waste it.
32:18What was it like playing that full song for your dad for the first time?
32:22I was in LA and I, so I didn't get to see his reaction, but I sent it to him.
32:26It was like really early in the morning, but he was really excited and he felt really touched
32:30because he was like, he just, it felt, he felt seen that I heard all the things he had
32:36told me growing up.
32:36I think.
32:37Why was it important for you to put a song on this on your record, especially it being
32:41your debut album?
32:42Well, to me, I feel like debut albums are really supposed to kind of say to the world, like,
32:47this is who I am.
32:48And that song, I feel like is really important to me, identity wise.
32:53And it just felt like a message that I wanted to put out there.
32:56Because if you have like the platform and like can say things like that and have people
33:01listen and hear the message, that's like, I don't know, it's my dream as an artist.
33:04Yeah, I'm sure so many people felt seen by that.
33:07I mean, even going to like the country music influences on that song, I thought were so
33:11smart.
33:12What's your relationship with country at all?
33:13I know you're a Texas girl.
33:14Yeah, I grew up in Texas and so have heard a lot of country my whole life.
33:19But yeah, I mean, I love country.
33:21I feel like sometimes when I sing, I have a little like twang to me, but I'm not like,
33:26it's not like my favorite, like John necessarily of all time, but it is, I do take influence
33:31from it and I, I love me some country when it, when it's, it's the right mood.
33:36Okay.
33:37What's the right mood?
33:38The right mood is a barbecue, barbecue backyard.
33:43So is Texas barbecue really all that is scrapped up to be?
33:45Well, I actually am not like the biggest barbecue fan.
33:49I know this is, my career's over after I do this.
33:52I'm not the hugest barbecue fan, but if I'm going to have, I'm going to have it in Texas.
33:57Okay.
33:57Yeah.
33:57Okay, period.
33:58I'll make my way down there somewhere, somehow.
34:00Yeah.
34:00Okay.
34:01Now, now that we get to this album and we have songs like A Father's Lament, we also have
34:07a song, let's say, For Dinner, which brought me back to middle school and I had not the
34:12best relationship with food at that point in time.
34:14How do you go about revisiting places and emotions to get songs like that without dwelling
34:21there?
34:21Honestly, a lot of the time I will write after the fact or like after something's happened
34:29and it's kind of nice to be able to kind of touch on old things.
34:34I remember I was watching this movie and it was like, it's so great to experience pain because
34:41it's just another like paint in your color palette that you can like pull on in the future
34:47when you're making art.
34:48And I was like, whoa.
34:50So now every time I like go through something, I'm like, it's just another like thing I can
34:53pull on whenever I'm writing in the future.
34:55Absolutely.
34:55Now with all the success that you've had, especially so quickly, has there ever been a time where
35:00you felt any kind of imposter syndrome at all?
35:02Mm-hmm.
35:02Talk to me about that a little bit.
35:04For sure.
35:05I feel like I'm a huge believer in like the universe and like cosmic things and things all
35:10working out as they should.
35:13And so it initially was like, I was like, oh my gosh, like this is my destiny.
35:19And I just felt really grateful.
35:20And I was like, okay, like I feel like I'm just following my life path.
35:25And that was a great mindset to be in.
35:27But I think the more I did it and the more I had success, I was like, oh, like I
35:34never
35:35like knew it could, that this could happen to me.
35:37Yeah.
35:38And it was like, do I even deserve this?
35:39Like, what am I, what did I do to even get here?
35:42I was like, there are people that work their whole lives for this.
35:44And I feel like, how did I, you know, just like things like that, but definitely felt
35:49imposter syndrome.
35:50I think it's kind of crazy if you never have, but it's important to remind yourself like
35:55that you did get here.
35:56Yeah.
35:57And on your own merit.
35:59And sometimes that's all you can do.
36:02Yeah.
36:02I mean, another arena where I feel like that kind of silences any feeling of imposter syndrome,
36:08or at least temporarily, maybe the Grammy stage.
36:11You have any thoughts on those?
36:13What do the Grammys mean to you?
36:14Well, the Grammys are obviously like iconic.
36:16And growing up, I feel like it's, that's like, that's the big one.
36:22I think there are so many like talented artists that have been acknowledged by the Grammys.
36:28But to me, accolades are just, it doesn't necessarily mean like if you don't get something
36:35or if it didn't happen.
36:36There are so many talented artists that have received Grammys and there are talented artists
36:40that have.
36:40It's just kind of like, I don't know, it's hand in hand.
36:43But obviously Grammys are iconic.
36:44Yeah.
36:44So, you know, zooming out a little bit, how do you define longevity?
36:48How do you define success in this game?
36:50I think that has changed for me a lot over time.
36:53But to me, success is just kind of like, success is tricky because it's literally what you define
37:00as.
37:00Because if you let other people define success for you, that's not going to work.
37:05And if you have this like one goal and you achieve it, then it's like, okay, what now?
37:12Like, I feel like if I told myself a year ago, oh, where I am today, she'd be like, whoa.
37:19And she'd be like, that's like, okay, like you're done, dude.
37:22Like, okay.
37:23You won.
37:24Game over.
37:25Go home, mama.
37:27But I don't know.
37:28I think it, to me, success is really just like, am I feeling good personally?
37:33Because if I don't have like up here doing good, the art will suffer because of it.
37:37And that's honestly success for me.
37:39And you're continuing to lay crazy groundwork this year.
37:41You have your headlining tour, Noah Kahn support, Gracie Abram support after that.
37:47How are you balancing everything right now?
37:50Um, honestly, right now I'm doing pretty great.
37:53Hell yeah.
37:54Hell yeah.
37:55I just feel like I was, I went through like a really rough patch maybe like a month ago,
38:00just like art wise.
38:01Cause I was like, oh, the album came out.
38:02I don't know what to write about.
38:03I feel so like down, but I don't know.
38:06I feel good.
38:07I feel like excited.
38:09I have things to write about.
38:10I have things to say, which is always the most exciting thing.
38:13But yeah, I'm literally so excited for the year.
38:14What song shocks you live with the live reception to it?
38:17Blur.
38:18Really?
38:18Well, it honestly shocks me.
38:20But like, it's so fun.
38:23Like, it's like, I don't want to, it's a mosh pit, but it's like the girls are jumping.
38:26I'm like, it's so much fun.
38:29I love that.
38:30Yeah.
38:30I love that so much.
38:32So that means it's going to be like 10 times bigger in a stadium.
38:34Well, yes.
38:35Well, yes.
38:36I'm like, everybody jump.
38:39So we have Noah Kahn, we have Gracie Abrams.
38:41What's your favorite song from each artist?
38:43My favorite Noah Kahn song is Call Your Mom.
38:45Okay.
38:46And I also love the one with Lizzie too.
38:49I love both of them so much.
38:50But that's my favorite Noah Kahn song.
38:52My favorite Gracie song.
38:53I love Amelie.
38:55And I love, I, when I was in high school, Gracie was like one of my favorites.
39:01Amelie.
39:02I, I love That's So True.
39:04Oh, classic.
39:05That's a pop classic to me.
39:06Yeah.
39:07Yeah.
39:07So I'll go with those two.
39:08Love that.
39:08And now we're going to play our next game.
39:10Let me stop you right there.
39:12Essentially, we're going to read a comment from a TikToker or a Twitter person about you.
39:17And you're going to respond off the cuff.
39:19All right.
39:19I genuinely hate when they play this, I love it, I love it, I love it song at work.
39:23It's just super annoying to me.
39:25And the comment says, it sounds like she needs a drink of water.
39:29Um, maybe I was a little parched.
39:32That's not your business.
39:35Um, yeah, I don't know what to say to you.
39:38I feel like, you know, it, it sucks to, uh, have terrible taste.
39:43Um, but you do, you all do me.
39:47I know that's right.
39:48Period.
39:50Now who's left on your list of dream collaborators or who's on it?
39:53I would love to collab with Lizzie.
39:54I feel like she is just, I'm a huge fan of her and I looked up to her.
39:58I still do.
39:59Looked up to her a lot though, growing up.
40:01And yeah, she's just my good of all time.
40:03Dream venue to perform in?
40:04I would love to do the Greek.
40:07Nice.
40:08Um, yeah.
40:09And also ACL Moody.
40:10These are great answers.
40:12Hold on.
40:12Oh, you had, you had that one prepared.
40:14You said, I'm, I'm booking this.
40:15I've been thinking about it.
40:15I know, that's right.
40:17All right.
40:18We're going to finish into one last game, which is called off the cuff.
40:21Okay.
40:21Um, the idea for this one is you're going to sing a little snippet.
40:24Yeah.
40:25Of an upcoming single that you're working on, or it could just be a vocal warmup that you
40:29do for tour.
40:30Okay.
40:30Either 15 seconds max.
40:32Okay.
40:33Only one, if it's right in front of you, like a fucking dog.
40:43You would think you'd be running to me, but you're not running at all.
40:48Oh, that's what I got.
40:51Oh.
40:51Yeah.
40:52Okay.
40:53Where we pull inspiration from these days.
40:55You know, boo things left and right.
40:58Uh-oh.
40:59Uh-oh.
41:00We got to talk, girl.
41:01Uh-oh.
41:03Okay.
41:03So when it comes to now building songs that come after a breakthrough moment, like I love
41:08it, I love it, I love it, like My Reckless Abandon, is there pressure at all with making
41:11new music?
41:12Or are you kind of just right back to your routine of just, I want to get this stuff out
41:15of me?
41:15I think there definitely was, because I was like, I love My Reckless Abandon, and I was
41:20like, I don't know how I'm ever going to top this.
41:22I was like, this is like the best album I've ever heard.
41:25No, but I was like, I really love this project, and I was just like, had so much to say.
41:33And I was like, okay, but now the thing is kind of over, and like also, how many times
41:36can I say what I said in the album?
41:38I was like, okay, what do I do next?
41:41But life strikes again, and I've got more to say, so I'm ready.
41:44Yeah, so what does next look and feel like?
41:47Is it given second album?
41:49Is it given deluxe?
41:51What can you tease us with at this time?
41:53I wish I could give you a definite answer, because I never know, and I change my mind
41:56every five minutes, but it's kind of giving a deluxe vibe a little bit.
42:00Hold on.
42:03I love it.
42:04I love it so, so much.
42:05Now, I have one last question for you, which is, we're in an era where AI is actually a
42:12thing in this music game.
42:13Does that concern you at all as a younger rising star, where we have AI hitting the
42:18charts?
42:19AI, you know, flooding streaming services with music and fucking up the royalty pool?
42:24Totally.
42:25Well, obviously, I feel like AI is the worst thing to ever happen ever.
42:28But specifically in the music game, I think, I just feel like I've never heard an AI song
42:35and been like, wow, that's hitting me.
42:38Like that, you get me, dog.
42:40Like, it's literally, and I don't think it can.
42:42I just don't think it can.
42:44And so, I personally am not necessarily worried, but it is, it's frustrating.
42:52Like, I'm not worried from the sense of, like, art is dying, but I'm worried from the sense
42:56of, like, it's just frustrating that it's charting it all and that it's, like, people
42:59are listening.
43:00Yeah.
43:00That's what's...
43:01That's a good word.
43:02Frustrated is, like, I feel like the way I feel also.
43:04We're just like, girl, we got to be doing this for real.
43:06Like, we're doing just fine.
43:08And I'm like, do we need this?
43:10Like, why?
43:11But, you know, outside of all that, I want to thank you so much for your time, for coming
43:14on the pod, for so much fun.
43:16Like, so many laughs.
43:17I love this.
43:18But Bella Kay, thank you for stopping by Up and Coming.
43:20Thank you for having me.
43:21Hell yeah.
43:22Yay.
43:22Thank you for listening to this week's episode of Billboard Up and Coming.
43:25You can catch all episodes on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.
43:30Tune in next time.
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