This post was updated Oct. 26 at 8:49 p.m.

Exploring the depth of life, dreams and perseverance, BEL’s debut album wishes to express a sense of hope that listeners can take away.

Isabel Whelan, an indie pop artist and UCLA alumnus, is known under her artist name BEL. On Oct. 17, her debut album “Holy Grail” was released after three years of crafting, she said. The LP is representative of resilience, childhood desires and manifestations for her current stage of her career, Whelan said. The release of the album, she said, was celebrated Oct. 16 at the Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles. She said the show was a full-circle moment, playing with a full band for the first time.

“It represents perseverance and learning how to roll with the punches as an artist and as a human,” Whelan said. “Resilience, that’s the main takeaway. It is learning how to be resilient … and accept it as a redirection.”

Three years ago, Whelan said, she wrote the title track of the album as an aspiring artist, and within this time, she has now achieved many milestones, bringing the song into a new light. Before the release of the album, Whelan put out singles and EPs but knew she wanted to hold onto this specific track for her first full-length record, she said. In the studio, Whelan said she was brought to tears when she recorded this track because it felt magical and was what she had been imagining when she wrote the song years prior.

For the lyrical component of the songs, Whelan said she was inspired by multiple aspects of her life, such as unrequited love and familial relationships. The album explores the profound moments of hope and joy that she found while looking within herself when working on the project, she said. As the tracks came together, Whelan said the album became a reflection of what she was experiencing in her life, as well as hopes for the future.

“I knew that this album was going to be called “Holy Grail,” she said. “I knew that the overall theme throughout was going to be about yearning and reaching for something that feels impossible.”

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In terms of production, Whelan said that it was important for her to explore new sounds and textures for the record. She said she wanted the sound of the LP to transport people into the dreamy yet realistic world that she had created for the album. This was accomplished by experimenting with new sounds, as well as sampling real-life moments such as parties, she said.

To cultivate a cohesive album that incorporated different elements, Whelan said she worked with Jason Harris, the executive producer on the album. On previous projects, she explained, she had different producers for different songs, but to achieve a polished project, she wanted to work with the same person throughout its entirety.

Whelan said she chose to collaborate with Harris because while they were working together on music, she felt they had a bond and were able to connect in an unspoken way. That allowed the two of them to seamlessly collaborate, working on perfecting the album, focusing on niche details such as the introduction and album transitions, she said.

Harris said Whelan is a unique artist, as she can often record her vocals in just one day. As a songwriter, he noted she was able to display her emotions honestly, inspiring him to protect the imperfect and raw components she had created through the album’s production. He said that with “Holy Grail,” Whelan created a colorful album that breaks through by blending honesty and playfulness.

“I watched her become more confident in her own ideas,” Harris said. “But when I met her, she was just as good and sure of herself and creative and interesting as she was at the end.”

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Carol Zapata-Whelan, Whelan’s mother, said from the young age of 8 months old, her daughter was already singing and holding refrains. Zapata-Whelan said music was a part of the culture at home, as all of Whelan’s siblings played musical instruments, with Whelan playing guitar, piano and violin.

Zapata-Whelan said Whelan’s time at UCLA allowed her to flourish as an artist and grow as a performer with opportunities such as Spring Sing and different charity performances. She said Whelan has always chosen to use her music to give back to people, an element of her identity that has been a constant part of her journey.

Reflecting on her time at UCLA and transition to her artistry now, Whelan said UCLA changed her life by providing her with music opportunities such as audio engineering, as well as a community that inspired and challenged her as a musician. After she graduated, she spent time working at a record label and ultimately decided to commit fully to making music, she said. She started to release music during the pandemic, and that was when she felt the shift in her career, she said.

With the release of this album, Whelan said she has learned to speak up and trust her vision. This album is a representation of her persistence and how she learned to redirect her mentality on setbacks and trust in timing, as she believes everything happens for a reason. As for this current season, she said she is excited to write more music and hopefully go on tour.

“I’m really excited and happy that it’s (“Holy Grail”) out now, and it’s really cool to get messages from people to hear which songs they’re connecting to,” she said. “I am going to start writing again … I’m excited to see what I start writing about next.”