Bella Lam Aptly Takes It Out on Her Guitar in New Firey Single

Some of the most iconic country songs are the angry breakup anthems that recount Louisville sluggers and actresses posing as saints. Next on the list is Bella Lam’s latest single, “Take It Out On My Guitar,” which dropped on Feb. 13.

Tennessee-born and raised, Lam is no stranger to what makes a good country song. From witty lyrics to a twangy undertone that carries the track, “Take It Out On My Guitar” will no doubt be the next scream-in-the-car playlist addition for not just country music lovers. Fans themselves can even join in on the breakup catharsis with Lam’s hotline Write It, Don’t Text It. By calling 833-582-5348, fans can share everything they never got to say about their messiest breakups for a chance to even get featured on Lam’s TikTok page.

Before her single’s release, we sat down with Lam to understand her inspirations, motivations, and the vital importance of being yourself.

First and foremost, you were born in Nashville, so I’m sure that music was like a huge staple for you, but can you explain what initially drew you to music and country music in particular? 

For music in general, I grew up in a really musical family. My dad, he does music. All of my siblings, all of my cousins, all of my extended family do music, but they do music as a hobby. I’m the first one to actually be like, “I want to do this for the rest of my life. It’s all I want to do forever.” My grandfather actually immigrated from China, and he said that he wanted all of his descendants to be super well-rounded and to know instruments. So I grew up learning piano, guitar, and drums, and I stuck with guitar. 

For country music, my dad might have been from New York, but my mama was real Southern, and she instilled all of the classics in me. I grew up listening to all of her favorite country artists. For a long time, I fought it. I tried to hide my accent when I sang and stuff like that. But I think it’s really important to just embrace who you are. And so country music is who I am. It’s my home. 

You’re also simultaneously a student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. What motivated you to pursue a degree while also pursuing your music career? 

That would be my parents (laughing). They were always like, “You got to get a degree before you do anything.” My professors, especially since it’s the music department, are very supportive of my career. If I have to miss a class because I have a show in another state, they’re like, “Oh, go ahead. Send us videos.” 

The UTC music department has a social media guy. He’s always posting about me. I’m always popping into his office and stuff like that. I actually wrote a song, and I posted about it, and they reposted it on their page with something like, “Mocs don’t skip class!” because I said something about skipping class in this song. I walked into his office, and I said, “I showed up to class!” I just think that having a really good support system and continuing to be super organized and stuff like that helps a lot. And the fact that my professors are so supportive of it helps a lot, too. 

No, that’s awesome. I’m about the same age as you, I’m 24. I saw [that you go to school too], and I was like, “My god, I couldn’t even imagine multitasking like that.” I would not be able to do it. 

(laughing) Before this call, I was doing an assignment. 

I’m totally impressed with you being able to handle it all. So, focusing on your newest release coming up, what do you think sets “Take It Out On My Guitar” apart from your other singles and your discography? What do you think sets it apart from other country songs? 

Well, I think when it comes to breakup songs, especially, a lot of them are really sad or angry. You know what I mean? And I understand that. I’ve written my fair share of angry breakup songs, but I really love a good anthemic badass girl country song that’s just like, “I’m over it. I’m not mad about it. I’m going to write a song about it. I’m going to have fun.” I think that’s something that makes “Take It Out of My Guitar” really different. 

I also had to pay homage to all of the badass girl country anthems before it in the song, because I grew up on them, and I love them so much. The “Before He Cheats,” the “Goodbye Earl”s, the “Better Than Revenge”s, the “Gunpowder & Lead”s, all of them. So yeah, I think that a good anthem to get over that heartbreak and start to heal from it is what makes [this song] a little bit different. 

That’s so funny because literally my next question is about the artists that you nod to in your song. What from their careers, like Carrie Underwood, Taylor Swift, and their music do you hope to take away while you’re pursuing your own country music career? 

I think just their love of the craft, the fact that all of them continuously, no matter what’s thrown at them, just have an overall love for making music and love for their fans. I think that’s something that I really want, going forward into my career, to keep that close to my heart because it’s a hard industry, and it can break you down a lot. I think just holding on to why you got into it and who you could inspire really helps me a lot. 

Kind of on a similar vein, as an Asian-American female country singer, what are the pressures you feel like, if any, by contributing to a genre that is usually predominantly monopolized by white men? 

I feel like I’m just adding my own little sparkle to the genre. I try not to think of it as something that is really heavy and on my shoulders. I think of it as, I’m a little different from everyone else in the genre. And I think it’s fun that I can just be myself and add that sparkle to the genre while also, like I said, drawing influences from the greats before me. 

Then you have the Write It, Don’t Text It campaign on social media. What inspired you to start this, and what do you hope fans can take away from an interactive experience like this? 

What inspired me was all of the Reddit stories that are trending on social media right now. I’ve been watching all of the random ones that pop up on my [TikTok] For You Page. I think that they’re really fun. I really think, especially for young girls, which is a lot of my fan base, that your first breakup, which happens around that age, is really hard on you. 

And especially at that age, you don’t really have anyone to talk to about it. So I just wanted a space where my fans could rant and vent and turn it into something fun to get them excited for the release, but also to make them feel involved and connected a little bit. 

So then, conversely, is there anything from their rants that you hope to learn something from? 

I would say that a lot of it is wanting to be able to give them some advice on how to get over it, on top of the idea that no matter how old you get, you can always learn and grow and become. I think that this has been teaching me a lot about the hardships that people go through, big or small, and how they can affect them and their confidence. I want to tell them that no matter what happens and no matter who breaks your heart, you are so worthy of love and you are so worthy of your confidence. I think that’s really important. 

I’m not sure how many of the actual confessions you’ve read. I know you’ve posted one, but are there any that are absolutely insane that you can’t wait to share on social media? 

There are quite a few of them. The one that I just posted was probably the biggest one that I’ve read so far. The “my sister cheated on her boyfriend with his dad” [story]. 

That was literally crazy. 

Jaw on the floor. I thought I was reading a rom-com or something like that. I was like, “Oh my goodness gracious.” That’s the biggest one so far. But I have another one coming out this coming Wednesday, and I’m about to film that, actually, after this call. So we’re gonna see. 

I’m so excited. They’re definitely entertaining! So then, on social media, kind of on the same track, you said that you thrive on being yourself. Is there any advice that you could give to girls our age who are perhaps struggling with that and are too caught up in the social media craze of always putting their best foot forward? 

I think that it’s important to remember that a lot of these influencers, singers, and celebrities, most of what they post is their best days. And we are all guilty of pinging on a smile to go on the internet. I think that you have to remember that you are valid in your good days, you are valid in your bad days, you are valid no matter what you’re feeling or no matter how you feel in that moment. I always have to keep that in mind myself. 

And I think just really trying not to force something on yourself. So if you feel comfortable vlogging, vlog, but if you don’t feel comfortable doing that, there are other ways to make yourself known on the internet and express yourself through posting. You just have to find what clicks. It’s a lot of fun searching for it, and it’s a lot of fun when you find it. 

On your TikTok, you have, I think, it’s like 50,000 followers. It’s a lot. When you’re releasing a new song, how does the big social media following affect how you handle the process? Do you get more anxious when releasing a song? Is there more pressure? How does that affect your emotions when it comes to having a big crowd of people already anticipating something? 

I think that makes me more excited than anything. I want to say when my first one (single) came out, I maybe had 20, 30,000 followers. It’s grown so much since then that I think that every single release going forward, I’m getting more and more excited. Of course, it’s nerve-wracking. I’m putting myself out there. I’m putting out my art and my heart out for people to criticize and view and love and hate whatever they feel like. 

It’s nerve-wracking, but it’s also super exciting. I cannot wait for the fans to hear the finished product and to see all of the fun stuff we have in store for them after release. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had in my entire life putting out music. 

What is your favorite part of playing live as opposed to just recording or writing the music? 

I really think just connecting. That’s the best part of any show. I love seeing people’s faces when I come out on stage and the reactions when I sing a certain song this way. I think it’s so much fun just getting to bounce off of the crowd and making people happy. I always like to say I try to make somebody who comes into my show have a bigger smile when they come out than when they came in. I love making people smile with my music. 

After “Take It Out On My Guitar,” do you have plans for your music for the rest of the year? What can fans expect? More music, an album?

We are working on an album. We’re going to see, but for sure, an EP. It’s definitely songs that the fans have heard before, if they have been following me. But I’m so excited for them to finally be out and to share them again with my fans. 

For more on Bella Lam, follow here online TikTok, Instagram and her website.