The first time I met Bella Hite, I was sitting with my legs crossed on a slightly too-damp stretch of grass in the middle of prospect park. It was last summer, on a steamy fourth of July, and I was waist-deep in picnic gossip with friends when she walked up in knee-high metallic boots, a silver sequined skirt, and the most fabulous blue eye shadow I had ever seen. Her aura was mysterious, and in the smoky air from the nearby park cookouts, she looked like an angel straight out of a 2014 Tumblr aesthetic. She was fresh to New York City from Virginia, ready to take on the new city with a fierce passion for music and friendship.

Under that fiercely authentic energy, I’d come to learn that there was an intelligent, kind, musical artist just standing by to go viral. One listen to her track, “Individualistic” and you’ll begin to understand that at this point, it’s just a matter of time.

When we sat down to chat over Zoom on a chilly Sunday morning many months later, I had already seen time and time again Hite’s incredible work ethic. The only thing I was left curious about was where that unyielding passion came from. And yet, for someone with so much drive, our conversation was open and casual, as we sipped our coffee in our sweatshirts and chatted from separate rooms across the same city. It was full of curiosity on both sides of the screen and packed with shared experiences — a telling sign of a human artist in an age where formulas and algorithms roam unchecked.

AS: When did music come into your life?
BH: For a while I’ve been saying that I didn’t start until early 2024, but a Snapchat memory actually popped up recently and I realized that during the summer of 2019 I made a 14 track album with my friends. We all collaborated, and I produced some of the beats and it was just…fun. A bunch of the songs were about Mario Kart or Minecraft and I would sample sounds and songs from the game. That was 6 years ago, but I definitely remember that summer as when I first discovered that I liked making music not just listening to it.

AS: Was there something that snapped (no pun intended) though, in the beginning of 2024 where you were like, “Okay, I want to start taking this really seriously.”?
BH: Throughout college I took some music classes, and when I would go on break I would go home and just challenge myself to make a song casually. There was no deadline, no one I was reporting to, I wasn’t at school to study music — I just wanted to keep expanding on something that I found interesting and fun. At the beginning of 2024 though, I ended up putting out one of the songs I had been working on, and it got a few thousand streams early. It was shared around a little bit, and someone from the music production department at my college reached out and offered to help me more seriously produce my songs. I think it was the first time I thought, ”Woah. This could be for real.”

AS: Did you have an idea right away of what you wanted your sound to be like?
BH: I’m not sure if any artist really knows what kind of sound they want to make right away. When we got into the college studio and started making tracks, it took me a while to identify what path I wanted to follow with my sound because I was focused on who was going to be hearing it. But, I think it just takes time. You have to experience life and find things that you want to write about, explore the parts of every-day living that move you.
Honestly, two years and one move to New York City later, I feel like it’s getting to be “go time”. I feel like I am getting really close to really defining who I am as an artist. Especially on my newest tracks “Individualistic” and “When You Had Me” I feel closer than ever, and that is exciting. At the same time though, I don’t want to hide while that discovery is taking place. I think recording my sound’s journey is just as important as meeting it at its destination.

AS: I can imagine that there might be a big vibe shift from having one song out and exploring and writing in the studio, to publicly sharing what you have found and continuing to figure it out. Has the journey evolved for you?
BH: There has definitely been a big shift. I think the experience of putting out music can be lonely sometimes. You’re working hard to create something that no one is making you do, you’re doing it on your own, and you’re not sure if anyone is even going to see it or hear it. But, I also think with the loneliness comes the truth that I am no longer looking for validation from anyone on the outside. I just want to put things out that feel authentic to me, and then find the people who will resonate with it.

AS: That perspective sounds a lot like you are coming full circle and returning back to that first 14 track album where you were sampling Mario Kart and Minecraft.
BH: Yeah, exactly. I think it’s freeing to just try whatever you want to try and put it out. You never know what someone is going to relate to.

AS: It’s a known fact that you studied computer science in college. Do you think your interest in technology is why you’re drawn to electronic sounds?
BH: Oooo, maybe. The knowledge of knowing how to use a computer to it’s fullest potential has been super helpful in approaching music creation from a laptop. But, I think music has always been in my life. I think in any situation you are always going to let your passions inform your dreams. I think my coding knowledge really comes in to play when I need a reminder to be confident in my own unique artistry.

A lot of media that is being created right now, whether it’s a short-form reel, music, a joke even, feels like it’s been made using a formula that the internet is pushing out. That formula is always going to be prioritizing profit over true artistry. I don’t think it was always like this! Whenever I start to doubt myself, I think about Lady Gaga and her confidence. She was able to push back against the formula that is so often shoved in our faces, and she did it without jeopardizing her own authenticity. I’ve always known in my bones that I can create something phenomenal because every human mind is unique, everyone has a different way of looking at things, so why shouldn’t I believe that what I have to offer is special? Either you make music that is going to thrive on the algorithm, or you make things that are just so out there and different. If you’re in the middle, and you’re trying to please everyone, it’s not going to work out in the long term. AI art, for example, doesn’t work because it is not authentic and genuine. And if your work isn’t authentic and genuine, why are you making it?

Hite is expected to release more singles throughout 2026, and to begin live performances around New York City, and it’s safe to say that we should all be looking forward to enjoying the next chapter of the journey alongside her.