The Playlist: The Internet’s Favourite Pop Star Bella Kay

Bella Kay exploded onto the scene with her song iloveitiloveitiloveit. The song spent three weeks at number one in Ireland and has been all over the radio this year.

The 20-year-old Texan is currently on tour, playing to a sold out show in The Academy over the weekend. It’s her first time in Ireland and will spend the next few weeks travelling the world, something she never expected.

Here STELLAR chats becoming a TikTok sensation, the music that made her and soaking up the rare Irish sun…

Hi Bella, how are you? Is this your first time in Ireland?

It is, I’m really excited. It’s really beautiful here. It was a good day to be here. Yeah, absolutely.

What is it like heading on tour? Are you excited or nervous?

It’s definitely a bit of both, but I think mainly it’s just really cool to see fans in different countries and cities. I’ve not really travelled the world, so it’s cool to be in a totally different place than I normally am and just connect with that side of the world.

Your song, iloveitiloveitiloveit, went number one in Ireland. It’s just everywhere. How does that feel?

It feels awesome. I think it’s really exciting. It’s really cool to just connect with that many people and have that many people know I exist or like my music. I think it’s awesome.

Can you talk to me about your new single Promise?

My song Promise, it came out like a week, a week and a half ago. I’m really proud of it, really excited about it. It’s a good intro to the album, which is coming out…eventually…soon. I’m just excited to get this whole new era started. I love putting out music, so I’m really hyped.

What do your fans expect from your new music?

I think they should expect more honesty from me. That’s what is exciting about this album, it’s really honest and true to what I’ve been going through the past couple of months and the last year. It’s a lot more me. It’s more edgy, more fun, but also still sad, which is a fun combo!

Let’s talk fan edits! Your music is all over TikTok soundtracking shows and movies…

If I’m being honest, the edits are why I do this. [Laughs] It’s my favourite part. I love the edits. They’re so good, especially when it’s like a weird one that I would have never thought of that couple when making the song or listening to it. It’s just so cool where people’s minds can go and what kind of art they create with my art. I think it’s awesome.

Growing up what type of music did you listen to?

When I was younger, I was listening to a lot of Rihanna, a lot of Mary J. Blige. My mom really liked coffeehouse music, so she would play that a lot. And my dad really liked rap, so it was very different. Their cars were totally different vibes!

Do you have an album that you feel really made you who you are?

I think one of my favourite albums of all time is Lemonade by Beyonce. My passion for music really grew from that. I was like, “Wow.” The story of the album, I just thought it was really impactful.

You mentioned your parents earlier. How supportive have they been in your career?

They’ve been insanely supportive. I honestly could not ask for better parents. They are just so, “Go after it, do what you want to do.” So I couldn’t be more grateful for them.

 

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You’re on your headline tour now, but you’re also supporting Maisie Peters and Noah Kahan this year. How are you feeling?

I’m really excited. Maisie was amazing. She is just the sweetest human alive, and her fans are just so great. That was an amazing experience and I’m really excited for Noah. I think it’s going to be really fun. I’m nervous, but I’m excited.

What was your first concert?

The first concert I saw was Emails I Can’t Send, Sabrina Carpenter tour. I was maybe in my sophomore year of high school and it was just so cool. I thought her set was awesome. I thought she was an insane performer and it was really cool.  I was like three rows!

What has been your biggest achievement so far?

Honestly, I think my biggest achievement has been feeling really stable in my own life. I think I’m really fortunate to be doing what I’m doing. I feel really grateful to feel so steady. I feel really balanced. I love all the people around me, my team and my friends. I think that my biggest accomplishment is feeling good.

Your songs are so personal. Do you feel nervous when you release them?

Oh, totally, totally, totally. I don’t feel nervous putting songs out about other people. I mostly feel nervous putting songs out that are really personal and true to me. But at the end of the day, it’s not about me when I put out my music. It’s more about how it’s going to connect with my fans and what it means to them. So I just try to remember that and try not to think too hard about it.

Finally, what is on your bucket list? What would you love to achieve?

Bucket list. Oh, God. I need to get better at this. When it comes to goals, I don’t set goals for myself. This is going to be random and kind of lame, but I kind of want to go bungee jumping. Can that be on my bucket list?

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