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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Billboard Up & Coming is a podcast in partnership with SickBird Productions.
Executive Producers:
Diona DaCosta
Kyle Denis
Producers:
Kayla Forman
Chris George
Editor:
Loli Moura
Kyle Denis:
Welcome to the Billboard Up & Coming Podcast, your go-to stop for the key moments and stories behind music’s hottest new stars. I’m your host, Kyle Denis, and our guest today is one of the biggest breakout stars of 2026. With her incisive, gut-punching songwriting and wide range of sonic influences, this Texas-born alt-pop artist has quickly won over fans, including some famous ones like SZA and Noah Kahan. In December 2025, Bella Kay posted a TikTok teasing a new single called “iloveitiloveitiloveit.” Over the next few weeks, she continued teasing the song’s chorus, generating widespread attention on TikTok ahead of its official release on January 11th. In less than a year, “iloveitiloveitiloveit” has earned over 240 million official on-demand U.S. streams, peaking at No. 2 on Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and at No. 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. In July, she released her My Reckless Abandon debut album, which she co-wrote entirely with close collaborator Ida Rose. The following month, she landed a spot on Billboard’s 21 Under 21 list, adding to a list of achievements that includes three weeks at No. 1 on the Emerging Artists chart and a Best New Artist nomination at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards. Bella Kay, welcome to Up & Coming. How are you feeling?
Bella Kay:
Good. Thank you for having me.
Thank you for being here. To start off, we’re gonna play this little game called the Come Up Card game. It’s one of my favorite ones. Basically, you’re gonna point to one of these. Each of them has a different career milestone on the back, and you’re gonna tell the story behind that career milestone. So you point, and I’ll draw it for you.
Let’s do the one in the middle.
One in the middle right here?
Yes.
All right. We got your first major cosign. What’s the story behind that?
I guess my first major cosign might’ve been when Noah Kahan wanted me to open for him.
Get out of here. How does he reach out to you?
Well, still haven’t spoken to the man, the myth, the legend himself.
Keep watching for more!
