Bella Poarch on Her Debut Album and First Headline Tour: Telling the Story Behind the Algorithm
Filipino American singer Bella Poarch spoke to Reuters in London about her debut album, “Picnic at the Cemetery,” and her upcoming first headline tour. The 29-year-old said the record is, in many ways, the story of her younger self, long before algorithms entered the picture.
Poarch left home at 17 and served in the U.S. Navy. Her 2021 debut single, “Build a Bitch,” scored more than 75 million views in its opening week on YouTube, the biggest debut for a new artist in the platform's history, according to Warner Records. Before that, she was an aspiring musician uploading singing videos in the hope that somebody in the industry might notice.
She said she had carried the album title for about five years. In the Philippines, families traditionally gather at cemeteries on All Saints' Day; for her, the title also means revisiting buried trauma and memories she had pushed down, and being able to sit with them now. Without those experiences, she said, she would not be who she is today.
The hardest song to write, she said, was “Garden” — not technically, but emotionally, because it is about being okay with being loved. She said she still struggles with trust because of her childhood, and cried so much while writing it that she switched from paper to her notes app. “Stay Gone” is about walking away from home at 17, a decision she called the best she ever made for herself and the happiest day of her life.
Poarch said she once wanted to write songs that would go viral, but now cares more about whether music is authentic. She has spoken openly about struggling with depression and said she wants her songs and live shows to give people hope. Her first headline tour kicks off in the United States in late January 2027 before heading to Britain and Europe in March. Next, she said, she wants to make more music and would love to produce for other artists.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Bella Poarch 2024年在 Pink Aura 巡演中演出（资料图），Angie Freems 摄，CC BY 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons 取得并自托管。 / Bella Poarch performing on the Pink Aura Tour in 2024 (file photo). Photo by Angie Freems, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, self-hosted.
