Born and raised in Calgary, Bella White is the daughter of a native Virginia banjoist who instilled in his child a love of Appalachian folk, country, and bluegrass. She learned how to play music at an early age, writing her first song when she was seven. As a child she regularly attended folk festivals and music camps, branching outside traditional bluegrass as she became a teenager. As her adolescence progressed, so did her songwriting skills.

Just Like Leaving, her 2020 debut album, sounds as if it came from the Appalachian hills, not Canada. A close listen reveals that White wasn’t a revivalist — she bent old ways to suit herself, adapting Americana styles to fit her introspective and impassioned songwriting. White worked with producer Patrick M’Gonigle, a fiddle player in the Lonely Heartstring Band, to record her debut. Released on Rounder, the album helped establish her in Americana circles.