Bella Poarch Broke TikTok

And now, with her upcoming EP, the 25-year-old pop star is going to show everybody why.

- LINDSEY WEBER

Halpern jumpsuit. Oscar de la Renta necklace (in hair). Rebecca de Ravenel earrings. Manokhi gloves.

Bella Poarch is just getting over a case of COVID-19, but that's not what's stressing her out. It's this interview, actually. Bella, like countless people around the world, has serious social anxiety. Maybe, in a way, it's good that she blew up-to the tune of 2 billion Likes and 88 million followers on TikTok (she's the platform's third most followed person), perhaps the stickiest debut song to come from that app (“Build a Bitch,” which if you haven't heard it, yes you have), and now a Warner Records deal-in the middle of a global pandemic. Because so far, she's rarely had to be in 1:1 social situations. Or even in 1:1 Zoom situations, like the one we're in right now.

There's a lot, though, that sets Bella's story apart from that of the up-and-coming-and-feeling-pretty-anxious pop star. To start, she was born and raised in the Philippines, first by her grandmother, then by adoptive parents. Eventually, the family moved to the U.S., where Bella graduated high school early and quickly joined the Navy. After she finished boot camp, she got her first tattoo, a heart lock and key that has since given way to distinctive ink that covers much of her 5-foot-even frame.

Today, Bella is a force who extends well beyond the app where she made her name: Her music video debut, with going on 400 million views, was YouTube's single biggest debut ever. And this year, the so far online-only megastar is hitting the physical world: Her new EP comes out this spring, with her first live performances to follow. For all her shyness, if the aforementioned video is any indication-what with its cameos from famous TikTok pals, decapitated singing doll heads on a conveyor belt, spooky choreography, and pit of CGI fire-it's going to be a wild ride.