From the vibrant city of Chicago and now based in the musical crucible of Nashville, Bella Rios’ journey began at the tender age of five when she first began learning classical piano. Along the way, she absorbed the diverse sounds around her like a sponge, soaking up her parents’ collection of musical greats like Queen, Fleetwood Mac, and Aerosmith, along with the contemporary icons of the era, like Adele, P!nk, and Lady Gaga. This mix of pop-rock influences is imbued in the 20-year-old singer and songwriter’s fearless music today—especially on her latest EP, Sincerely,, an electrifying and authentic collection of songs that captures the joys, struggles, and vicissitudes of being a young person today.

On her unbelievably catchy single (and EP opener) “Ever After,” out March 22, Bella cheekily laments the end of a short-lived relationship with a boy who was admittedly “not worth her attention.” On the sassy breakup anthem, Bella deftly switches between candid verses that tell the story of romantic anticipation followed by disappointment, and a heart-thumping chorus in which she belts out her disapproval of the boy in question: “You’re a player and your friends know/I’m gonna say it to your face though/Maybe I wouldn’t have known/You took no time to replace me/I saw it on your friends’ phones/You’re such an asshole.”

“I wrote that song after my first big heartbreak,” Bella says. “I felt like my world was crumbling. I desperately needed an angry breakup anthem, so I did my best to try and write one.” The catharsis is apparent in the song, which calls to mind artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Reneé Rapp in its clever phrasing and fierce delivery.

Bella’s lyrics, which deal with topics like the euphoria of love, crushing lows of heartbreak, and the vertigo-inducing peaks and valleys of mental health, are relatably clear-headed and exceedingly fun to sing along with. Currently a junior at Princeton University, Bella vibe checks her songs with friends—if they love them or are moved by them, she knows she’s onto something.

“I played ‘Ever After’ for my friend going through a similar situation, and now every time before we go out, we play it as a reminder to stay away from… ya know.”

“It’s Not Me It’s You” and “Nevermind” are a pair of empowering, complementary songs that speak to every type of falling out, from platonic to romantic. Over a sparse bass line and beat, Bella’s vocals pack a punch on “It’s Not Me It’s You” as she sings, “And if we’re fighting, I don’t wanna make up/No I don’t hate you/But I don’t love you/It’s not me, it’s you.” On “Nevermind,” she settles into her growth, taking that realization a step further with the lines, “Nevermind/You’ve been busy wasting my time/I’m so through/It’s not me, it’s you.”

In addition to being a thoughtful lyricist, Bella is a talented musician, feeling at home at the piano and on the guitar and dabbling in instruments like saxophone and bass. Sincerely,, her EP, has a sparklingly bright and hopeful sound to it, even as it delves into more melancholic territory, like in “Walking in the Rain.”

“Woke up with the usual feeling/Same old cycle, not anything new/I’m run down and tired, not having any time for the dreams that I want to come true,” Bella croons over a stripped-down guitar riff. She wrote the poignant song specifically about struggling with the monotony and pressures of school life, though the sentiment will be familiar to anyone who has ever felt like they were in a rut. “I feel like a lot of people inevitably end up going through the motions some days, even when they’re trying to pursue their dreams,” she says. The soaring chorus is a testament to the healing power of music itself, with Bella’s stunning vocals gliding through the comforting refrain: “So I listen to happy songs while walking in the rain/Trying to keep my head up cuz that’s what this song is saying.”

“It’s about the music on my ‘happi’ playlist getting me through the gloomiest days.” By revealing her most personal thoughts in song, Bella helps her listeners do exactly that—to join her on her path of self-discovery and to find bright moments amid all the dark.

Darkness is a subject she addresses more literally in “In The Dark,” a soothing, but moody track about counting her worries as she struggles to fall asleep at night. With the subject of mental health woven into the fabric of many of her songs, Bella says, “I write to self-reflect. It helps me work through feelings I’ve chosen to ignore.” She adds, “Like a lot of people today, I have struggles: OCD, anxiety, body image. Until relatively recently, I had just accepted some of them as a given. I am only now learning how to deal with them and take better care of myself.”

“Cause I go to sleep like I’m going to war/Ready for a battle that I always swore I’d let go/I’m not in control.” Bella sings over a ripping electric guitar riff. Although written a few years ago, she is excited to finally share it, hoping that it will help others experiencing similar difficulties.

In addition to writing and singing, Bella is an accomplished performer, having spent her adolescence rocking the stage with cover bands, becoming intimately familiar with the songs of her favorite artists. “Music has given me a voice and a confidence that nothing else has,” she says. “I’ve never thought, ‘I’m a badass,’ but that’s how I feel every time I’m on stage.”

Now that she’s combining that on-stage charisma with her own music, Bella is an unstoppable force. “I’m just so excited to share what is uniquely mine with other people,” she says, “and hope that it does for them what it does for me.”