Bella Kay

Calling to mind a more stripped-down version of Gen Z pop singer/songwriters like Olivia Rodrigo or Gracie Abrams, Bella Kay's plaintive, aching, acoustic guitar-driven body of work began amassing in the summer of 2025 with the viral "The Sick," which had tens of millions of streams in its first few months of release. Kay, born Bella K. Williams in Texas in 2006 and raised in Orlando, Florida, plumbed the depths of bedroom pop angst on "The Sick," striking a chord with anyone who'd ever endured an early, toxic romance ("You were wrong for what you did to me/but I was sick for kinda likin' it"). The track and follow-up "Lonely" became the centerpieces of debut EP sick to my stomach, released that fall and promoted by a tour with Liberian-born folk singer Mon Rovia. Kay entered more upbeat (but still heartfelt) territory with her next, harmony-stacked single, 2026's "iloveitiloveitiloveit." ~ Mike Duquette