Bell (singer)

Bell Mothander was born in Stockholm in 2000 and grew up in the suburb of Hässelby.^[3] She started writing songs as a child and started with hip-hop at the age of 11.^[4] Bell moved to Tingsryd to study music at gymnasium.^[5] In 2016, she went viral on Facebook with "Gatuvåld", a song written for young people who have died due to gun violence and street crime.^[6] She was subsequently invited to perform the song on Nyhetsmorgon.^[7] She spent over a year working on the song and released it on Spotify in 2017.^[8] After gymnasium, Bell attended Birkagårdens folkhögskola [sv], a folk high school for one year, studying live music.^[6][9]

In June 2021, Bell signed a recording contract with EMI,^[5] and started a TikTok account later that year.^[3] Her debut single, "Bättre sent än aldrig", was released in January 2022.^[10] Later that year, a clip of her freestyle rapping over "Bonaqua" by Henric Edström [sv] became viral on TikTok.^[7] As a result, she and producer Jonathan Hellberg [sv] went into the studio to finish and record the song, titled "Misförstått", which was subsequently released as a single on 17 June.^[3][6][4] The single reached number-one in Sweden and has been certified Platinum by IFPI Sverige.^[11] The song also became popular in Norway, resulting in a remix with Norwegian rap group Roc Boyz [de].^[5] She was nominated in the category of Newcomer of the Year at the 2023 Grammis.^[2] Her debut EP, BRB...<3, was released on 24 May 2024.^[12] In 2025, Bell authored an easy read poetry collection based on her lyrics, which is part of a series aimed at encouraging young people to read.^[13]

In 2022, Bell classified herself as a pop musician, with influences of emo, hip-hop, indie rock and metal.^[5] Her later music has been described as hyperpop.^[14] She has looked up to hip-hop musician Daniel Adams-Ray since she was young, and names Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X as influences.^[3][5]

Bell realised she was bisexual in high school and says her family was accepting so she did not need to come out.^[5] In an interview with Kingsize Magazine, Bell described herself as having a strong personality, which led to her being bullied in elementary and high school.^[4] Her social media handle @allahatarbell (transl. everyone hates Bell) was an act of reclamation following her experiences being bullied.^[4] She has also discussed struggling with anxiety and her mental health.^[7][15] In February 2025, Bell was announced as an ambassador for the mental health organisation Mind [sv], in order to inspire people to open up and talk about mental health issues.^[16]