Bella Poarch just gave fans the most personal look yet at her debut album, and she did it over a plate of lumpia. In a new episode of Billboard’s“Takes Us Out,”she sat down with host Delisa Shannon at Naks in New York City’s East Village, working through tocino with garlic fried rice and egg, plus ube for dessert. For Poarch, Filipino food isn’t just a meal, it’s the comfort food tied to her family and her favorite memories, and that connection runs through everything she makes.
That includes the album itself.“Picnic at the Cemetery”sounds like it belongs to a horror soundtrack, but the title actually comes from a family tradition, which gives the whole project a completely different meaning once you know. She also opened up about her DIY approach to producing, teaching herself through what she calls“YouTube University,”creating distinct characters and visuals for each song, and recording real-life sounds on her phone to build the track“Hideaway.”
The episode also digs into the creative push-and-pull that shaped“Stay Gone,”showing an artist who is hands-on at every level. And if the food segments leave you hungry, Poarch has a simple fix: see if there’s a Jollibee in the area. Which Filipino dish would you order first?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.