Cailin Russo’s mixture of alt-rock grit and pop sophistication has helped her build a fan base across multiple genres and platforms. The San Diego native released her debut EP, House with a Pool, in 2018 and later scored a viral hit when one of its songs, the grungy “Bad Things,” was used in the 2025 series Heated Rivalry. In the interim, Russo continued to evolve her sound, appearing on the cinematic 2019 League of Legends theme song “Phoenix” and releasing a 2023 full-length, INFLUX. Later tracks like 2025’s “Triple It” and 2026’s “I Can’t Help You Now,” both with Don’t Scare Billy, favored more minimalist electronic production.

Donda
The daughter of punk musician Scott Russo (Unwritten Law), Cailin was fully immersed in music from a young age, though her entry into the mainstream initially came as a model, appearing in a pair of Justin Bieber videos (“All That Matters” and “Confident”). She formed her namesake band, RUSSO, a few years later and issued the guitar-driven House with a Pool EP in 2018. A high-profile collaboration with Chrissy Costanza on the song “Phoenix” for the 2019 League of Legends World Championship helped increase her visibility. Over subsequent releases, mostly issued under her given name, Russo’s music became increasingly more alt-pop and electronic-oriented. A year after earning a Grammy nomination for her songwriting contribution to Kanye West’s Donda album, she made her own album debut with 2023’s INFLUX. 2025 proved to be a breakout year for Russo with the release of “Triple It,” a sharp and seductive electronic track with Don’t Scare Billy, and the inclusion of her 2018 song “Bad Things” in the hit television series Heated Rivalry. She kicked off 2026 with another Don’t Scare Billy track, “I Can’t Help You Now.”