EXCLUSIVEGen Z's Favorite Artist Reveals 'Horrifying' Inspiration Behind Her VERY Graphic Viral Tracks After She Supported Taylor Swift on Tour
Sofia Isella revealed the inspiration behind her music.
May 3 2026, Published 11:00 a.m. ET
Gen Z's favorite new artist Sofia Isella has admitted her music inspiration is "horrifying," OK! can reveal.
The singer, 21, has gone viral with tracks attacking the p--- industry and p------- ahead of the release of her new EP, Something is a Shell.
She has now revealed her tunes are based on disturbing material, including p---, as well as child abuse.
Isella said songs: "The context is not beautiful. The contents that I'm talking about are horrifying. They are scary and they're disturbing, so anything else wouldn't make sense."
She added about her performance style – which involves her covering herself in dirt while screaming and tearing off her clothes: "I love to give a physical sensation to people, rather than just going straight to the ears."
Sofia Isella went viral with some of her music.
Isella previously spoke in 2024 after she went viral with her early tracks such as "Everybody Supports Women" and "The Doll People."
Her most popular track, which has also spread across social media, is "Above The Neck," which charts the objectification of women.
She said about the tune: "When I wrote it, I was thinking of a combination of a bazillion different things, and one of the main ones was p--- "(P--- stars) wear Hello Kitty underwear, they put pigtails on and they cross their eyes. And they act as if they have no idea what's going on. Which is hot to the men, and very disturbing and very creepy to me."
Isella added, "Everything about (females) has been directed by p-------."
She also said: "And what is seen as attractive is to look as if there is no knowledge in you, there is no life in you. There is no desire to think of anything." Isella is renowned among critics for her performance-art-style stage shows and shock tactics.
Her work blends alternative, indie and dark pop music and frequently focuses on themes of women's empowerment.
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One critic for the NME said: "There's a gritty brutality to her music, like lines scratched in dirt. The publication added her new EP turns that up an octave, prying apart lofty concepts surrounding God, morality and eternal damnation, dragging them back down to earth where Isella can break them down for parts."
Los Angeles-born Isella – full name Sofia Isella Miranda – has performed as the opening act for artists including Melanie Martinez, Tom Odell, Taylor Swift, Florence and the Machine and Glass Animals after becoming an Internet sensation.
Her work blends alternative, indie and dark pop music and frequently focuses on themes of women's empowerment.
Sofia Isella's work blends alternative, indie and dark pop music.
Born in 2005, Isella first gained traction online before breaking into live touring, where she was selected as an opening act on Swift's Eras Tour in 2024 – including performances at London's Wembley Stadium.
Her role as a support act has been widely seen as a major endorsement from Swift, whose tours are known for spotlighting emerging female artists.
Swift personally curated opening lineups and encouraged fans to discover them, helping boost Isella's profile internationally.
Sofia Isella was an opening act for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour.
Isella has spoken about the experience with awe, recalling how she was asked to join the tour and immediately said yes, describing the opportunity as surreal.
She later praised Swift's support, saying the pop star was "an angel" for allowing her to perform to such vast audiences.
Beyond touring, Isella's music – which explores themes of feminism, fame, and identity – has been compared to Swift's storytelling approach, further linking the two artists creatively.
