TikTok Goes ‘Behind the Breakthrough’ with Bella Kay

TikTok is proud to announce that Bella Kay is the latest artist to star in its Behind the Breakthrough campaign, which celebrates breakthrough artists, and brings them together IRL with some of their biggest fans on TikTok. Launching today, the latest instalment spotlights Bella Kay's huge success with her breakthrough tracks, 'iloveitiloveitiloveit' and 'The Sick', and the role that the TikTok community has played in turning early song teasers into global music moments and building a passionate fanbase around her music.Behind the Breakthrough with Bella Kay sees her spend time IRL with Zariyah (@kaleidoscopedreamz), one of her biggest fans on TikTok, who first discovered Bella when she released 'The Sick', and has since turned all of her friends onto Bella's music too. Together, they discuss Bella's journey on TikTok, her music, and the moments that have meant the most to each of them while they connect face-to-face. @tiktok @Bella Kay ♬ original sound - TikTok Bella Kay's breakthrough story began before she had even officially released 'iloveitiloveitiloveit', her biggest hit to date. 'The Sick' was her first breakthrough moment, which generated more than 3 million creations and 3 billion video views on TikTok.She built on the back of that momentum with the release of 'iloveitiloveitiloveit', spending months teasing the track on TikTok. Her fans embraced one particular lyric, “...but we don't have to get into what that says about me,” transforming the unreleased song into the soundtrack to millions of videos. From lip-syncs and relationship confessions to covers and heartfelt personal moments, the TikTok community made the track their own and built huge anticipation for its official release. That sustained fan participation helped propel an unreleased teaser into a charting hit, with “iloveitiloveitiloveit” inspiring more than 6 million creations and over 5 billion video views on TikTok.Bella has since built further on the success of 'iloveitiloveitiloveit' with the release “Steady”, which has amassed more than 4.17 million creations and 2 billion video views.With each release, Bella has built a close relationship with her community of over 1.1m fans on TikTok, inviting them onto her creative journey from the earliest stages of a song, and watching as they interpret her music through their own stories and creations. For Zariyah, that connection has extended far beyond the For You feed: after following Bella's journey on TikTok, she has bought tickets to her live shows, and become one of her biggest superfans.Bella Kay said: “It was so special getting to meet Zariyah in real life and hear about how she discovered my music and have followed my journey. TikTok has given me such an amazing way to connect with fans from the moment I first share a song, and I love seeing how they connect with each other and build a community around the music too. I'm so grateful for all the love and support they've shown me, and it was really special to bring that connection to life in person.”Katrina Kernaghan, Artist Partnerships Director at TikTok, said: “Bella’s journey is a brilliant example of how music discovery on TikTok can grow into genuine, lasting fandom. From embracing her earliest song teasers to creating, sharing and connecting around her music, the TikTok community has been part of her story from the very beginning. Behind the Breakthrough brings that special relationship between artists and fans to life, and we’re delighted to celebrate Bella and the community that has championed her along the way.”Behind the Breakthrough celebrates the relationship between artists and the TikTok communities that help power their rise, bringing some of music’s most exciting breakthrough talent together IRL with the fans who have championed them along the way. Through intimate, face-to-face conversations, the series goes beyond the numbers to explore the real people and connections behind an artist’s breakthrough.Behind the Breakthrough with Bella Kay is available now on TikTok.