Straight out of Florida, Bella Kay is taking the music industry by storm. Since her debut single “The Sick” hit the charts last year, she’s been dropping catchy yet heartfelt indie pop tracks left and right, including her latest three-pack, “a couple minutes out”, followed by “are you mad at me?”, Bella’s new single which dropped this week.
Known for her deeply relatable lyricism, almost sounding like diary entries, we caught up with Bella Kay to ask her about her writing process, how life’s changed since she hit the charts, and what’s pending for the budding artist… (spoiler, it’s an album).
You recently released your three-pack, “a couple minutes out” which had an insane reception. What’s changed since that dropped?
“I mean, I think my whole life has changed since it’s dropped, but I think maybe how many people are excited to listen to my music, which is fun. I think my fan base has grown, which is always exciting, to have more people listening and excited about the next thing. I think any kind of change is always scary and exciting at the same time, But I don’t know if it’s changed in any super drastically bad or positive ways. It’s been kind of steady.”
Your music’s been described as emotional, almost like diary entries, often discussing themes of identity. What draws you to being so vulnerable in your song writing?
“I think it’s just my own personal thoughts, and then I write them out. A lot of people have asked me, like, ‘are you scared to write about these topics?’ And I’m not ever scared to write about these topics, because I think that’s silly. I think the music isn’t for me, it’s for me when I first write it, and then after that, it’s not mine anymore. It’s for whoever relates to it and that’s the most important thing.”
Something people have applauded you on is the fact that your writing style hasn’t changed since day one, still feeling just as authentic. How have you held onto that authenticity even as your career’s growing?
“I think a lot of my writing, it all starts in the same place, probably, I think a lot of my writing just starts with thoughts that I have, or just me in my room with my guitar. That’s probably the most important thing that keeps it rooted in that diary entry style.”
How do you start writing a song? Where do you pull the inspiration from?
“I think I pull a lot of inspiration from life and things that people say to me or tell me. Or movies I see. It’s pretty much always started in my room with my guitar, but sometimes there are songs that have started in the room or in the studio which have been with someone else co-writing and I love those songs too.”
Congrats on your single “Iloveitiloveitiloveit” getting onto the Billboard Hot 100! What was it like seeing the track go so viral?
“It was a super pinch me moment. It grew actually at kind of a steady pace. Like, at first I was just like, ‘okay, cool. Like, this is obviously doing well,’ but it wasn’t too crazy yet. And so I was like, Oh, awesome. And then it just kind of kept going and going, which is cool to see, and it’s better than it kind of just shooting up overnight because that’s insane. I don’t know how I would be able to handle it. I was kind of able to grow with the song.”
Did you have a feeling that “Iloveitiloveitiloveit” was going to be such a hit when you were making it?
“It wasn’t that I thought it was gonna be like a crazy hit, but I did feel like it was the most authentic song to me I’d written in a long time. And it did feel like the start of something awesome.”
I know you’re on the “a couple minutes out live” tour right now. Can you share any stories from behind the scenes of touring so far?
“The benefits are getting to meet the fans face to face, and seeing them and then singing with them. Touring is kind of the only space where you can really, truly see how your songs are affecting someone firsthand. So I think that’s probably my favorite part of touring. My least favorite part, I think, a con that isn’t talked about enough is how tiring it is because it’s just so much travel – but it’s worth it!”
What’s something you couldn’t tour without?
“I probably couldn’t tour without my sleeping mask. I have a very specific set of things that I have to sleep with because my sleep is very serious to me. So I have to have my bonnet and my sleeping mask, and then this special pillow that I have to protect my ear piercings from my hair.”
Lastly, can you share anything upcoming that you’re excited about?
“I’m excited about my debut album coming out. I literally can’t wait. It’s really exciting. I’m really proud of it. And similar to ‘iloveitiloveitiloveit’, it’s just very me, so yeah I’m excited.”
