Q&A: Bella Kay Puts Her Vulnerability on Full Display on Three-Song Project ‘a couple minutes out’
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY SULLIVAN JORDAN ☆
Photo by Mehki Reese
FLOATING IN-BETWEEN WORLDS OF STRIPPED BACK INSTRUMENTALS AND CINEMATIC PRODUCTION SWELLS—Bella Kay faces her emotional habits with a brutal, yet confident honesty. a couple minutes out works as a brief, but impactful time capsule of a romance just as delicate and emotional. Kay owns her vices on “iloveitiloveitiloveit” before falling into spiraling self-doubt on “Steady” and eventually finding a fragile sense of closure on “wonder wander.”
Her resonant vocals deliver lyrics worthy of secret diary entries. Kay details the emotional breakthroughs and setbacks she has experienced while fighting between her heart and mind. From her early days of performing with only herself and a used guitar, to now building her sound around more access to recording studios and advanced production, Kay approaches her songwriting in the same way she has from the beginning—with integrity and a commanding presence. She is brave in the face of insecurity and ignores any fear of judgement as she uses music to capture her most raw and intense experiences.
Fresh off the heels of a personal Hot 100 record, Luna sat with Kay to chat about all things a couple minutes out, her evolution as an artist and her forthcoming debut album.
LUNA: First, I want to congratulate you! Your song “iloveitiloveitiloveit” hit number 66 on the Hot 100. How do you feel?
KAY: It’s one of those things that you can't even quantify. It's so crazy. But I was actually with Alexis Kesselman, who I made the song with when I got the news. And we were jumping up and down, freaking out. It was a really surreal moment for sure.
LUNA: I can imagine how special that moment was, especially since you were with [Kesselman] and you could share in that celebration. Congrats again! I want to start by asking you about your most recent project, a couple minutes out. You touch on themes of heartbreak, finding your identity and battling self doubt. I think a lot of people can connect with those feelings because they're so human. What draws you to these topics specifically and how do those themes influence your sound and songwriting process?
KAY: I think the main thing always for me when it comes to my writing is the things that I go through. Now I like to also think a little bit more about how my music is going to feel for the people listening. Before, I was always writing songs for myself. And I still do that. And I'll write songs that I'm like, “This is never coming out. This is just for me.” But I think now when I'm writing songs where I'm like, “Oh, I really want this to come out,” I think, “Is this something that is going to make people feel seen? Is this something that is going to help people feel understood?” That's always my main goal with music.
LUNA: Totally. I feel like that's why, speaking from personal experience, I connect with music so much. You can always find something to identify with, and that's the case with your music for me. a couple minutes out is a three-song project. Can you tell us a bit about the process of bringing it to life?
KAY: It's actually kind of funny because I wasn't going to put this project out. I wasn't even going to put “iloveitiloveitiloveit” out, but I was working and I still am working on my debut album and I had these songs that I liked, but I didn’t think they would make sense on the album. So I started to step away from the album for a second. And I was like, “I think I want to put out a mini project” because I was in this in-between world of who I had been, who I was and who I was becoming. And I was like, “I don't think I can just jump into the future yet.” I was still in that space.
So we decided to do a couple minutes out. Me and Alexis Kesselman started to hammer in on these three songs that felt really special and like a bridge between the two worlds. They're all on guitar and they're simplistic, but there are also more advanced elements, production-wise. We're going to see more of that on the album, whereas the EP I put out before was more simple. It's really cool to bridge the world. That’s the main purpose of the project.
LUNA: As a listener, that's really cool because then you can hear your evolution from your first EP through your album. I love that we get to experience that growth alongside you. What I love about these three songs specifically is how honest you are with yourself and the emotional habits that you keep coming back to, especially with the song “Steady.” How do you approach confronting these difficult truths because it can sometimes be a lot to be vulnerable in that sense? What in your day-to-day life helps you open up and find that vulnerability to express those emotions through your music?
KAY: I think when it comes to the actual thought of knowing something is bad for me, but I'm going to do it anyway, I'm very in tune with my emotions in that way. I always know something is bad or I know I shouldn't be doing something, but the thing about me is that I'm always like, “meh, no, no, I don't care.” I feel like that comes across in my music. It's who I am. I think when it comes to songs, if you're not being vulnerable or you're not a little scared for it to come out, it's kind of not really going to do the thing. For a song to really connect, you have to be saying something that people are going to resonate with. I feel that with “Steady” because that song is a very vulnerable piece. I'm saying things that I'm like, “oh my gosh, everybody's gonna hear it,” but I kind of let that go by the time the song comes out. People need to hear this because other people feel the same way.
LUNA: Do you feel like when you're writing those kinds of songs, you're more in that headspace? Is writing them a way for you to let go or when you listen to the song now are you still in that space? Do you look at it from a different perspective?
KAY: I wrote “Steady” in October and I was in a completely different point in my life. I think with all my music I still feel parts of it but I think that's the beautiful thing about growing up. I'm learning new things about myself and figuring out how I want to process these feelings. There will always be moments where I'm having that feeling, but I think I'm learning how to not always live in it constantly.
LUNA: How did you initially discover music and find it as an outlet to express yourself?
KAY: I'd always loved singing, especially when I was really young. As I got older, I fell in love with songwriting and composition. I was obsessed with Olivia [Rodrigo] and Lizzie McAlpine. I wanted to be a songwriter. I was like, “this is the coolest thing ever!” And so I started writing songs and I got this $50 guitar at Guitar Center. And I literally haven't stopped writing songs since.
LUNA: That's such a fun story! How do you think your sound has evolved since then and what influences have helped you shape your music and songwriting?
KAY: I think the funny thing is that I feel like the most shaping sound-wise has been in this past year. Before that, it was literally just me and my guitar. There's only so much I could have done. I think I always was really into the indie-folk kind of thing. When I started going into studio sessions, I was exposed to a whole new world. There are so many other things you can do with sound.
LUNA: Can you recall any instances in your life where a specific artist or song has stuck with you and inspired you to pursue music or to explore a certain sound? Is there a specific artist or project that has helped you through a difficult or emotional time in your life?
KAY: There are so many artists that have shaped me and made me want to pursue music. That would be an insanely long list. The one standout that changed how I see music and has shaped my sound the most is probably Sabrina Carpenter’s album, emails I can't send. That album changed my brain chemistry.
LUNA: Yeah, I agree! I listen to it all the time and it gets better with every listen. Now for a fun question. For new listeners or people just discovering you through this interview, how would you personally describe the music you make?
KAY: I would describe it as late night drive music. My music lives in that kind of cool and sad world that I imagine while I’m on a late night drive.
LUNA: I can definitely imagine going on late night drives with your songs blasting from the speakers. You've already spoken a bit about your debut album. What else can you tease about it?
KAY: I think the coolest part about this album is I'm mainly going in with Alexis [Kesselman] and we're working with things I have done before but we are getting smarter and better. The lyrics are sharper. They're smarter. I'm so excited. I don't really want the sound to feel polished and super clean. I like that it's a bit dirty and off kilter. I think that's really cool. So we’re leaning even more so into that. And the process has been cool because now I know what to ask for when I'm in the studio. I'm like, “we should do bass, we should do this, we should do that, we should stack harmonies…” I feel like I've really found my groove with this album. I'm so proud and I'm really excited for everybody to hear it. I think it's going to be fun.
