The Dolls EP serves as Bella Poarch’s first full body of work, one that signals that she is never messing around with her music career.
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We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again, you shouldn’t disregard Bella Poarch’s musical career as just some “TikTok songs.” While it may not be your cup of tea, it’s music that comes from a genuine place. For starters, the Filipina is a talented singer. Ever since she was young, Bella has always turned to music as her comfort zone with her ukulele in hand and soft, angelic voice. The problem though is that since most know Bella Poarch as being TikTok famous, her foray into music was met with raised brows.
TBH, we don’t blame them as there are some internet famous people out there who maybe shouldn’t have grabbed that mic. But Bella is not one of them. And with the release of her debut EP, Dolls, she delivers a solid collection of bite-sized pop tracks that are both well-made and hit at a deeper meaning.
BELLA’S POP BANGERS
The Dolls EP consists of six songs, three of which we’ve heard before and three new songs. In the old tracks, there’s Build a B*tch, her debut single that surprised many with its catchy quality. Also included is INFERNO, her collab with Sub Urban who actually has producing credits on every song on the album, and the album’s namesake, Dolls. All three are well within the realm of pop, EDM, and techno, and the remaining three new songs are also in the same boat, albeit with a few deviations.
Out of all the songs on the EP, Living Hell stands out the most. Bella has described this song as her karaoke tune and while it’s no Pinoy ballad, it definitely gives Bella’s underrated vocals more time to shine. The pop anthem sees Bella sing about being in a bad relationship and how she’s ready to fight back. It’s unlike her past songs sonically, which is a good thing because it showcases another artistic side to Bella as also seen in its artistic music video. No Man’s Land, meanwhile, is her collab with Grimes, who also appeared in her Dolls music video, and the two sound good together in this pop track about how they aren’t ones to be messed with. The song’s pre-chorus in particular stands out with its nursey rhyme-esque progression before the beat drops.
Finally, Villain serves as the last new track on the project and is one of the best songs of the album. The catchy tune playfully revolves around Bella’s often introverted persona that can and has given way to a darker side, one that you may not want to meet. The chorus serves as the track’s best part as it just hits in all the right spots as you confidently be the bad guy of the story.
FEELING EMPOWERED
While the Dolls is indeed a competently made collection of pop bangers, what’s extra special about it is that all the songs channel some form of empowerment. For those who are aware of Bella’s story, her childhood and teenage years were not easy. From start to finish, the songs feels like tracks that are meant for people to reclaim their power against those who try to demean them. While this may just be a theme Bella wants to include in each song, it could also be her way to help heal from her past scars.
“Over the past year, I’ve been working on this project which is a reflection of the everyday fight we all live,” she wrote in the caption announcing the project. “Each song reflects something different. Power, the need to fight, battling with inner demons, tapping into that main character energy, the sensitive side, and the urge to scream at the top of your lungs.”
Living Hell is most clear of this with its music video showing Bella in a vulnerable state as well as featuring a young girl. This might just be a young Bella trying to escape from the prison of her abusive childhood and live her life the way she wants to. The fact that she doesn’t escape the room might show that there is still some baggage she needs to deal with. Aside from just thirteen minutes of pop beats, Dolls is also Bella Poarch’s ode to empowerment, self-confidence, clapping back at the haters, and all around bad-assery.
GIVE IT UP FOR THE DOLL
Bella Poarch is not the first TikTok star to release music. But she’s one of the first to make music that doesn’t feel like it was done just for the sake of. There’s a purpose behind her craft, whether by making blockbuster level music videos, working with talented producers, or including worthwhile themes. If anything, Dolls could probably be a bit longer by a couple of minutes. And now that we know she can make that style of pop music well, it would be nice to see her explore other genres and styles in her future releases. But technically as the first full release of Bella Poarch, Dolls does not disappoint and serves an important release in what could be a very promising music career.
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