BEYOND THE NOTES
Photos by Anna Vasquez
Photos by Anna Vasquez
Photos by Anna Vasquez
January 14, 2026 | Mia Kennedy & Shreya Varma
Bella Andrews, a fourth-year Music Industry student, is stepping confidently into the spotlight as Cherry Pop’s newest artist, bringing her own color spin on indie pop. Hailing from the quiet, wooded landscapes of Marin County in Northern California, Bella developed her music after her love for her surrounding forests and farmland. “It definitely helped me with my music to just be surrounded with natural beauty all the time,” Bella said of her rural upbringing.
Beyond her hometown inspiration, she found a deep influence in her family, where she discovered a growing passion for the art of storytelling through song. Her father was the most formative figure in her musical journey. “My dad taught me to produce when I was in middle school and it’s been a huge passion of his,” she shared. “He [had] a huge role in me becoming a musician.” His influence also opened the doors to the artists who would later shape her sound, ranging from Fiona Apple to Amy Winehouse to David Bowie to the Beatles.
Today, Bella classifies her genres as a fusion of “indie pop, whimsy goth, [and] heartbreak goth.” The terms may sound playful, but there’s nothing surface-level about what she creates. At the core of her songwriting is emotional intensity, especially when it comes to love and relationships.
“I think that there is a commonality of relationships, I do tend to write about love,” she explained. “I write music when I’m feeling the most emotionally intense, whether that’s good [or] bad. I feel emotionally intense in my relationships, which is why that tends to be a topic I tend to write about.”
With poetic lyrics and lush, sometimes bittersweet melodies, she captures the nuances of young adulthood: the highs, the heartbreaks, the questions, and quiet revelations. And though new to the Cherry Pop roster, Bella is no stranger to producing and releasing music. With five singles already under her belt, she’s steadily carved out her space in the indie pop scene. Now, with the support of Cherry Pop, Bella is ready to step further into the spotlight and onto bigger stages.
“I think that as an artist, I need to build a community around me where I am [...] to plant a seed at UCLA,” she said. For Bella, signing with Cherry Pop is about cultivating connection.
“Breakfast,” her most recent release in September, is a perfect example of this connection. As an indie pop song that encapsulates the deep emotion and complexities of Bella’s life experiences, the song initially sounds joyful with a catchy guitar tune and an upbeat rhythm. However, listen closely, and you’ll hear the ache underneath. There’s a quiet sadness buried in the lyrics with a story unfolding beneath the melody.
The contrast between tone and meaning is a hallmark of Bella’s music.
The same storytelling magic is present in “Junk Drawer,” her most popular single, and perhaps her most emotionally raw release to date. The song is grittier, with rock-pop elements and driving drums that emphasize its inner turmoil. Repeating the melancholy lyric “now I mean nothing to you” like a mantra, Bella lays bare the pain of abandonment with unapologetic and emotionally intense honesty.
With a new single on the horizon for February, Bella is gearing up for a powerful next chapter. Her blend of indie beats and anecdotal storytelling creates a musical world that’s uniquely hers. She’s committed to following her own emotional compass, writing from experience, curiosity, and sometimes confusion. That openness is what makes her music resonate so strongly, especially with fellow young adults navigating love, identity, and change. And after years of releasing music, Bella Andrews is ready to bring her storytelling talents—wrapped in wit, whimsy, and wisdom beyond her years—to the Cherry Pop label. Keep your eyes on Bella, her moment is here.
About Bella Andrews:
Bella Andrews captures the ache of heartbreak and the search for belonging through an indie sensibility that feels straight out of a 2000s coming-of-age film. A fourth-year Music Industry student hailing from Marin Country, Andrews pairs confessional lyricism with wistful guitar textures and melodies. Her sound moves effortlessly between understated, lo-fi inspection, as heard in “3 minutes,” and the more heavy-hitting catharsis release of “Junk Drawer.”
With her recent single, “Breakfast,” Andrews marries storytelling with clever, homespun analogies, and an infectious beat that draws listeners into her orbit. Now signed with Cherry Pop, Bella Andrews is ready to share more of who she is through an unfiltered, bittersweet gaze.