Bella Kay’s debut album, My Reckless Abandon, is a cohesive and focused introduction to an artist who is as assertive as she is vulnerable.
The debut album is an artist’s opportunity to, after their first singles and EPs, definitively introduce themself to the public. Far too often, they feel sanitised and tame, seeking to land safely rather than serve as a definitive statement about who the artist is and what they seek to say. Bella Kay’s My Reckless Abandon stands out in this regard. It is an assertive and actualised project which aims to establish Kay as a centre-of-left alternative pop artist with a signature for rock-infused confessional songwriting. Kay has already seen significant success in her short stay in the music industry, achieving chart success here in the UK as well as opening slots on both Noah Kahan and Gracie Abrams’ upcoming concert tours. I feel this assurance has afforded her the comfort to create a body of work that, upon an initial listen, reads more like a second or third album rather than a debut. Paired with production from Idarose, who also co-wrote some of the tracks, the album feels at times radically feminine.
My Reckless Abandon sees Kay muse on a collection of experiences, largely centring on her self-image and her relationships. While this subject matter is common amongst her peers, the material feels individual, avoiding too many overwrought ideas or angles that would ultimately harm her intended messages. The songwriting demonstrates growth from her prior EPs, asserting Kay as a confessionalist. Across songs like swu and marrow she is able to wield emotional vulnerability like a blade, writing lyrics that are raw. It is a talent that is essential for artists who seek to inhabit the space that Bella is clearly settling herself into. The project feels like a statement about her maturity as a songwriter, but also captures a youthful ambivalence that only comes from the earliest years of adulthood. At numerous points on My Reckless Abandon, I found myself reminded of my own experiences of love and heartbreak in my early 20s. There is a real power in capturing those feelings when love is at its most volatile and fatalistic.
Vulnerability as a strength
Particularly impressive is how Kay handles vulnerability in her songwriting and how it is often well contrasted with moments of confidence or even venom. On one of the singles, iloveitiloveitiloveit Kay opens with the lyric ‘I like being used, it means I have a purpose’, this line honestly floored me on the first listen. It speaks to a desperate feeling that so many women and femme-presenting people have experienced in their early adulthood; it is also a brutally vulnerable and exposing way to open a song. I have to admire her dedication to leaving the messiest feelings in the music.
The boldest and most sensitive track is by far Sleep For Dinner. The song discusses Kay’s relationship with disordered eating. In the song, she discusses how food dominates her internal dialogue and the challenges this presents, doing so without flinching. The stripped-back piano accompaniment only furthers the depth of the song. Disordered eating is a regretfully common experience for many young women, particularly those under the magnifying glass of the public eye. To hear a musician speak so frankly and sensitively about their intimate experience of calorie counting and food denial is moving. Kay demonstrates a maturity on Sleep For Dinner that exceeds her 20 years, making for a song that sits at the heart of the album, both in its sonic qualities as well as its track placement. I would consider it one of the strongest tracks of the year and the clear standout on My Reckless Abandon.
Elsewhere, she is able to capture similar moments of vulnerability that ultimately display strength. Her songwriting is also well utilised on tracks like tongue and STOP that show us more playful and sensual sides of Kay. My Reckless Abandon avoids feeling like a formulaic sad indie pop record because of this, giving the listener a more multifaceted yet still emotionally intimate and confessional experience. It culminates in an album that is layered and complex.
Idarose and the gift of great production
One of the greatest strengths of My Reckless Abandon is its intricate and lush production. Idarose’s work on the record is rich and complements Kay’s vocals well. The sonic direction of the album is cohesive but not repetitive. Particularly on Promise?, mindf*ck, and Blur, the production is smooth and complex. There is a cognisance of the heart of what Bella is trying to say with these songs that shines through. Idarose’s production is one that feels very much in harmony with the songwriting on the record. It is also of note that it is still alarmingly rare to have women serve as executive producers on albums, something that is only typical of well-established artists such as Shakira and Lady Gaga, who are able to wield their experience with labels to produce their own work.
In 2024, women only held 5.9% of the production credits on Billboard Hot 100 year-end charting songs. This is an alarming and disappointing statistic, presenting us with the fact that, as much as women dominate the pop world in front of house, there needs to be far more done to widen participation for them in the behind-the-scenes aspects of music. Idarose, in this regard, is not only a clearly sophisticated and talented producer, but a necessary example of why women are vital in the production of pop music. The creative choices made as executive producer have lifted the raw talent that Kay has for being an emotional and tender songwriter, elevating the album to something that feels self-actualised, mature, and above all, very sophisticated.
The instrumental choices made on My Reckless Abandon are also refreshing; the consistency of electric guitars and drums on many of the tracks pushes it in a rock direction that is reminiscent of Olivia Rodrigo or Lizzy McAlpine, yet retains individuality. On marrow, there is the presence of some very enjoyable strings. Many artists in the past year have leaned into more acoustic and classical motifs in their music. There’s a conversation to be had about how this direction, seemingly across different niches in the pop landscape, says a lot about our lethargy for repetitive electronic, by extension, more hollow production. Personally, I find it a more considered and effortful way to make pop music – one that recognises that pop music is cerebral.
Versatility on My Reckless Abandon
A standout feature of My Reckless Abandon is the versatility it shows. So often, the alt-pop world is littered with albums that feel like repetition essentialised. Kay instead utilises a cohesive approach to explore a multifaceted range of themes, emotions, and flavours. There are sonic imprints of rock across the album that rub shoulders with bedroom pop, indie music, and even classical music. This makes it an engaging project and one that establishes a range of directions for future bodies of work to tap into. I found the track tongue to be one of the most emblematic of her versatility. The track shows a more sensual side of Kay, giving the listener a taste of R&B and rock that could have easily been a deep cut on one of Rihanna’s better albums. Personally, it is one of the standout tracks.
Other examples come in the form of karaoke or mindf*ck, which have real venom woven into them. Who isn’t a sucker for a good bit of feminine rage in their pop? Particularly with karaoke, we see a side of Kay which is not afraid to be cutting and spiteful. I urge her to play with this side of her creative persona more because she is able to carry it off with exceptional ease. Given this is her first album, it is rewarding to hear her touch on a variety of sounds, genres, and emotions as she is still defining her signature as an artist. She allows herself to, while maintaining a sonic and thematic North Star, touch on a variety of motifs and flavours across this body of work. That is something so often lacking in debut offerings from pop artists. Frankly, it makes this album feel more established and further from that dreaded word – safe.
Emotionally rich music
Perhaps most notable is how rich and emotive Bella’s vocals are on My Reckless Abandon. The opening verse of karaoke has some of the cleanest and smoothest vocals I’ve heard in quite some time. Her ability to emote in the way she sings is important for music that seeks to be so self-exposing and centred on her inner world. She has been able to hone her vocals well, avoiding sounding overly emotional while conveying each feeling with sniper accuracy. One of her greatest talents is drumming up tension in her vocals without sounding forced, making for tracks that resonate with the listener.
The album closes with the track i deserve better. We see Bella reflecting on a relationship that made her initially question her value and worth. The song sees her assert that while she has her flaws, she deserves to be treated with respect and parity. As a closing track, it ends the album with the sense that Bella has reflected on the relationship that informs My Reckless Abandon and has learned. It bookends the project with a more optimistic feeling but also with a sense that through the experiences she is sharing, she has grown as a person and looks to the future with greater knowledge and resolve. I found this song to be one of the strongest on the project. It is forward-facing: she clears away the emotional clutter of the relationship she sings about and opens herself up to greater possibilities in the future. What is refreshing, however, is that this realisation does not feel like a statement that she has everything figured out. Kay is the same heart-on-her-sleeve emotional songwriter that we met at the start of the album, but she is now someone who has a greater perspective and room to grow.
My Reckless Abandon is an exceptionally strong debut album. At points during the record, I found myself very impressed by its cohesion, maturity, and confidence. Ultimately, it is not an album that screams, but one that instead ebbs and flows. At times, we have songs that are brutally honest and emotionally cognisant, and at others, we see sensuality, venom, and optimism. I feel Bella Kay will have greater work to follow it in the future, but for now, it serves as a statement of real promise for a burgeoning force in the world of alternative pop music.
My Reckless Abandon is out now and can be listened to here:
