Indie pop artist-to-watch BEL dives deep into longing, self-worth, and the tug-of-war between ambition and gratitude in an intimate conversation about her soul-searching new single “I Want” and the journey to her upcoming debut album, ‘Holy Grail.’
Stream: “I Want” – BEL
Even though there will always be something new to reach for, I never want to let that stop me from being happy with where I am right now.
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We all want something – more time, more love, more money, more meaning.
It’s part of being human, this quiet ache that never quite goes away. On her new single “I Want,” LA-based singer/songwriter BEL captures that familiar feeling in a way that’s both intimate and expansive: A soul-stirring, slow-burning confession wrapped in daydreams, hunger, and hope. “No city, no town, no high, no comedown takes me far enough,” she sings, tracing a line between ambition and emotional exhaustion. But rather than picking sides in the endless tug-of-war between “maybe it’s enough” and “I want,” BEL holds space for both – and in doing so, makes room for herself.
All the pretty houses
I will never live in
Maybe it’s enough
to just witness them
Water on the night stand
Tracing with your right hand
Maybe it’s enough
to just be your friend
Released May 30th via Nettwerk Music Group, “I Want” is the second single off BEL’s upcoming debut album Holy Grail, and a powerful reminder of why she’s long been one of our favorite voices in the indie space. A three-time Editor’s Pick and official Atwood Magazine Artist to Watch, BEL (Isabel Whelan) has consistently captivated us with her blend of poetic vulnerability, melodic charm, and unshakable honesty.
We’ve been following BEL’s journey since her 2020 debut single “Silver Line,” when we praised her “warm wash of soothing sounds and inspiring lyrics,” and over the years she’s only deepened that emotional resonance. Highlights from the past five years include her debut EP Muscle Memory (“a radiant, resounding record of self-discovery and inner strength”), her alternative anthem/duet with girlhouse, “PBR” (“a visceral upheaval of anxiety dressed to the nines in emotive electric guitars and tasteful harmonies”), her 2023 EP Read the Room (“a dramatic [but gentle] giant of sonically and emotionally charged indie rock/pop sound”), and her beautifully bilingual 2024 single “Nos Despedimos” (which we affectionately dubbed “the Spanglish ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’).
Whether she’s whispering confessions through dreamy reckonings or wrestling with uncertainty through spirited, seductive refrains, BEL never shies away from the messy middle – and “I Want” finds her once again leaning into the tension, asking bold questions without demanding easy answers.
A tender, lilting reverie drenched in heavy-hearted introspection, the song is all about desire – how it drives us, distracts us, and shapes the way we move through the world. “There will always be something new to reach for,” BEL tells Atwood Magazine, “but I can’t let that stop me from being happy with where I currently am. Desire can be a very motivating force, but it can also make me blind to what’s already in front of me. I never want to take anything or anyone for granted.”
The seed of “I Want” was planted on tour, in the notes app of BEL’s phone. “No city, no town, no high, no comedown takes me far enough,” she wrote mid-run, caught between the thrill of movement and a lingering ache for something more. “I was happy to be seeing new cities and meeting new people,” she reflects, “but I realized that no matter how far I traveled, I couldn’t escape a feeling that I still wanted more – still wanted love, to own a home someday, to make more money, wanted every experience life can offer.”
When she later brought those words into a writing session with singer/songwriter Miya Folick, a song began to take shape – one that pulsed with longing, but also self-awareness. “It’s so cool to connect to another artist’s mind to describe the same feeling,” BEL says. “Words and images came up that wouldn’t have if I had just been writing this alone in my room.”
The resulting lyrics breathe a special kind of tension – between longing and presence, wanting and accepting – into every line as BEL’s own inner conflict plays out in real time, starting with her strikingly restrained opening: “All the pretty houses I will never live in / Maybe it’s enough to just witness them.”
With each couplet, BEL holds herself gently at a distance – admiring, observing, accepting. “Water on the night stand, tracing with your right hand / Maybe it’s enough to just be your friend,” she sings next, her words heavy and earnest.
But by the time she reaches the pre-chorus, that restraint starts to crack. “No city, no town, no high, no comedown takes me far enough,” she confesses, and the floodgates open. What follows is one of her most cathartic and captivating choruses to date – a full-bodied, breathless admission of longing.
I want the music real loud
I want the takeout on the couch
I want your tongue inside my mouth
I want my flame to never run out
I want my shoes wearing thin
I want more freckles on my skin
I want the bruises on my shin
I want it all again again again
Each line is delivered with purpose, stacking want upon want until there’s nothing left but truth. It’s messy. It’s visceral. And it’s deeply human.
It’s a feeling BEL knows intimately. “I’m a big yearner and a sensitive soul,” she admits. “It’s made me a very goal-oriented and driven person, which is great – but then when I don’t reach a certain goal within a certain arbitrary timeline I’ve given myself, I tend to spiral.” That spiral, that thirst for more, is what gives “I Want” its emotional gravity – but so does her growing awareness of it. As she’s learned to surrender more to the unknown, BEL is finding peace not just in chasing dreams, but in staying present with what’s already real. “Nothing is guaranteed in this life,” she reflects, “so I might as well enjoy what I have right now and continue to put my trust in the universe that everything will work out as it should.”
Desire can be a very motivating force, but it can also make me blind to what’s already in front of me. I never want to take anything or anyone for granted.
* * *
So which wins out – the yearning for more, or the acceptance of what one has?
For BEL, the answer is both. “I think that being a human means there will always be an ongoing cycle between desire and satisfaction,” she reflects. “I definitely struggle with this.” It’s a conflict she recognizes not just personally, but culturally – one perhaps shaped by ‘American ambition’ and the false hope of the ‘American Dream,’ the pressure to do more and be more, and the constant comparison cycle of life online. “It’s easy to get caught up in the rat race and forget about all the things you’re grateful for,” she says. “Gratitude is such an important tool for happiness and manifesting.”
Running in the wet grass
Basket full of eggs cracked
Maybe it’s enough
to just be here now
I wanna crawl out my skin
Give me more of the medicine
Drown it out on the freeway
Guess I’ll do it all the hard way
No city no town
Can take me far enough
Her upcoming debut album Holy Grail (out October 17th via Nettwerk) doesn’t pretend to resolve that conflict, but it does show what it means to live inside it with honesty, self-awareness, and grace. Across its eleven tracks, BEL captures the beauty and ache of wanting – not just more from life, but more from herself. It’s a project built on trust, vulnerability, and the courage to dream out loud.
“I started writing [this record] two years ago when I wrote the title track ‘Holy Grail.’ At the time, I wanted so many things for my life and career that all seemed so out of reach,” she shares. “Every song on the album is an archive of my hopes, dreams, joys, sorrows, and self-reflections in my quest for the Holy Grail. Everything is paired to a visual world that references my childhood dreams. Holy Grail gives a window into what it feels like to go all in on your dreams and surrender to the unknown.”
BEL teased Holy Grail’s first single, the groovy, glistening confessional “Fresh Start” (named one of Atwood’s Editor’s Picks), in April – returning to the spotlight, a year after her last single, with news of an exciting label signing and a dreamy, emotionally resonant indie pop anthem that soothes even as it stings. “I Want” followed in May, deepening the emotional landscape with a soul-baring meditation on desire, gratitude, and the endless pull of ambition. July 2nd saw the release of the record’s third single, “Party Tricks,” a romantic, rose-colored daydream that imagines what it might feel like to finally meet the right person – nerves, giddiness, dinner parties and all.
“[It’s] a manifestation song,” she smiles, imagining all those special experiences with ‘the one.’ “I love leaning into… all the romantic things you do early on when you really like someone. I imagined [us]… being silly and completely obsessed with each other.”
Holy Grail is already living up to its name as a thing of both beauty and becoming – a tender, cinematic chronicle of chasing your dreams without letting them consume you.
For BEL, these songs have been as much about growth and self-discovery as they’ve been about letting go. “This song came out at a really perfect time for me,” she says of “I Want,” recalling the high of playing BottleRock – her biggest festival yet – and the breakdown that followed. “I had achieved a really big goal for myself and had such a beautiful moment, and it was all ruined by this inner voice that I wasn’t perfect enough to share what I had just accomplished.” But somewhere in the back of her mind, that lyric from the song kept playing: it’s not enough, no it’s never enough. “I was like, yeah, screw it – I’m always going to have this mean critic in my head, and I can’t let it stop me from enjoying what a special moment that was.”
“The song truly helped me get out of my own way.”
I want the music real loud
I want the takeout on the couch
I want your tongue inside my mouth
I want my flame to never run out
I want my shoes wearing thin
I want more freckles on my skin
I want the bruises on my shin
I want it all again again again…
In the end, this music isn’t about silencing or shifting that inner voice – it’s about learning to live beside it. BEL doesn’t pretend to have all the answers, but through her latest songs, she makes space for the questions. “I Want” may be about longing, but it’s also a reminder to look around, to be present, and to celebrate what’s already yours. That tension – between hunger and humility, yearning and grace – is what makes BEL’s music feel so achingly human. These songs will stay with you. They are, after all, pages from a life still unfolding.
“I hope listeners take away a sense of gratitude and a zest for life,” she grins. “Experience everything the world has to offer and never take life for granted.”
Read our conversation below as BEL opens up about her new music, the constant push-and-pull of desire, and the journey that’s led up to her long-awaited debut album. Stay tuned for more to come as she prepares to release Holy Grail this fall!
Let’s be real – we all want something; BEL’s just brave enough to say it in song.
It’s not enough
No it’s never enough
No no
It’s not enough
No it’s never enough
No no
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:: stream/purchase “I Want” here ::
:: connect with BEL here ::
:: pre-save/purchase Holy Grail here ::
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Stream: “I Want” – BEL
A CONVERSATION WITH BEL
Atwood Magazine: BEL, hello! What's the story behind your new song “I Want”?
BEL: The first lyrics I wrote for this song were in my notes app from when I was on tour last March: “No city, no town, no high, no comedown takes me far enough.” I was happy to be seeing new cities and meeting new people, but I realized that no matter how far I traveled, I couldn’t escape a feeling that I still wanted more – still wanted love, to own a home someday, to make more money, wanted every experience life can offer.
I met Miya Folick in a writing session and I showed her those initial lyrics. She had coincidentally written something in the same sentiment and we compared our notes and the song just flowed out in the most beautiful way. Writing this song with her was a really special experience. It’s so cool to connect to another artist’s mind to describe the same feeling. Words and images came up that wouldn’t have if I had just been writing this alone in my room.
What’s this song about, for you?
BEL: There will always be something new to reach for, but I can’t let that stop me from being happy with where I currently am. Desire can be a very motivating force, but it can also make me blind to what’s already in front of me. I never want to take anything or anyone for granted.
You've got two main motifs in this song – “Maybe it’s enough” and “I want” – and they're sort of in conflict with one another. Can we talk about these two thoughts, these two forces, and what they mean for you - and how you ended up writing a song around that inner conflict?
BEL: These motifs are something that I reflect on a lot as an artist. I’m a big yearner and a sensitive soul. It’s made me a very goal-oriented and driven person, which is great, but then when I don’t reach a certain goal within a certain arbitrary timeline I’ve given myself, I tend to spiral. I’m really learning how to be flexible and surrender more to the unknown. Nothing is guaranteed in this life, so I might as well enjoy what I have right now and continue to put my trust in the universe that everything will work out as it should.
Which do you think ultimately wins out - the ‘maybe it's enough,’ or the ‘I want’?
BEL: Ultimately, my answer is both. I think that being a human means there will always be an ongoing cycle between desire and satisfaction. I definitely struggle with this. Maybe it’s a cultural thing though, as an American and the pressure of the “American Dream,” or maybe it’s from constant comparison online. It’s easy to get caught up in the rat race and forget about all the things you’re grateful for. Gratitude is such an important tool for happiness and manifesting.
I think that being a human means there will always be an ongoing cycle between desire and satisfaction… It’s easy to get caught up in the rat race and forget about all the things you’re grateful for. Gratitude is such an important tool for happiness and manifesting.
* * *
What do you hope listeners take away from “I Want”?
BEL: I hope listeners take away a sense of gratitude and a zest for life. Experience everything the world has to offer and never take life for granted.
Just as importantly, what have you taken away from creating it and now putting it out? Do you feel like you learned something about yourself from getting these thoughts and feelings out of your body and onto the page?
BEL: This song came out at a really perfect time for me, honestly. I learned a lot about just how cyclical I really am with this inner conflict. The song came out after I’d just played BottleRock which is the biggest festival I’ve ever played and yet I couldn’t find a way to share highlights from it because I hated the way my body looked in all of the photos and videos. I had achieved a really big goal for myself and had such a beautiful moment and it was all ruined by this inner voice that I wasn’t perfect enough to share what I had just accomplished.
Then that line from the song was in my head, “it’s not enough, no it’s never enough,” and I was like, ‘Yeah, screw it!’ I’m always going to have this mean critic in my head, and I can’t let it stop me from enjoying what a special moment that was. So the song truly helped me get out of my own way.
Following April’s aptly-titled “Fresh Start,” this is the second single off your upcoming debut album, Holy Grail (out October 17th, a week before my birthday – so thank you for that)! Briefly, what is this record about?
BEL: I started writing my debut album two years ago when I wrote the title track “Holy Grail.” At the time, I wanted so many things for my life and career that all seemed so out of reach. Every song on the album is an archive of my hopes, dreams, joys, sorrows, and self-reflections in my quest for the Holy Grail. Everything is paired to a visual world that references my childhood dreams. Holy Grail gives a window into what it feels like to go all-in on your dreams and surrender to the unknown.
You recently released “Party Tricks,” the third single off Holy Grail. Can you share a bit more about this song?
BEL: “Party Tricks” is a manifestation song. I’m visualizing what it’s going to be like when I eventually do meet the right person. I love leaning into the nerves, excitement, and all the romantic things you do early on when you really like someone. I imagined that person getting along with my friends, hosting dinner parties together, being silly and completely obsessed with each other.
‘Holy Grail’ gives a window into what it feels like to go all-in on your dreams and surrender to the unknown.
* * *
I know we've known each other for years now, but for those who are just discovering you today through this writeup, what do you want them to know about you and your music?
BEL: Yes we have!! I’m so grateful for you being such an early supporter, I’ll never forget it.
I want the readers to know that there is more new music on the way very, very soon, and some shows in the fall! They should follow me on social media to see the visual journey that will continue to unfold with the new music too. 🙂
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:: stream/purchase “I Want” here ::
:: connect with BEL here ::
:: pre-save/purchase Holy Grail here ::
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Stream: “I Want” – BEL
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