They were just four young girls from Los Angeles. Too young, some believed, to understand the world. Too inexperienced to make a difference. But when racism entered their lives, they refused to remain silent. Armed with guitars, drums, courage, and a message the world needed to hear, they went from playing small shows in Chinatown to standing on some of the biggest stages in rock music. Their story is not about drugs, destruction, or the usual tragedies of rock and roll. It is about something just as powerful: finding your voice before the world convinces you that you don’t have one.

FOUR GIRLS. ONE CITY. A SOUND NOBODY EXPECTED.

Los Angeles, California.

A city famous for producing rock stars, movie legends, and dreams that sometimes become nightmares.

But in 2018, something unusual was happening in the local punk-rock scene.

Four young girls were coming together to play music.

Their names were Bela Salazar, Eloise Wong, Lucia de la Garza, and Mila de la Garza.

Lucia and Mila were sisters. Eloise was their cousin. Bela was a close family friend.

They came from Asian-American and Latino backgrounds, growing up surrounded by different cultures, musical influences, and a community that encouraged creativity.

And they were incredibly young.

When the group first came together, its members ranged from approximately eight to fourteen years old.

Most children their age were thinking about school, homework, and spending time with friends.

These girls were learning how to stand onstage with guitars and drums, making enough noise to command the attention of adults who had been playing music longer than they had been alive.

Their first performance together came at the 2018 Girlschool music festival in Los Angeles.

It was originally supposed to be a one-time experience.

But something happened when they began playing together.

They discovered a connection.

A shared energy.

A love for music that went beyond their ages.

And they did not want to stop.

Nobody could have known that four girls who were barely old enough to understand the music business would soon become one of punk rock’s most talked-about young bands.

THE NAME THAT BECAME THEIR IDENTITY

They called themselves The Linda Lindas.

Their name was inspired by Linda Linda Linda, a 2005 Japanese film about schoolgirls forming a band, itself connected to the song “Linda Linda” by Japanese punk group The Blue Hearts.

It was a fitting name.

Because The Linda Lindas were also young girls discovering the power of music together.

They grew up around the Los Angeles punk scene, particularly benefit concerts organized to support music education in Chinatown.

Their musical influences included punk rock, power pop, new wave, and bands that challenged traditional expectations.

They were surrounded by musicians who understood something important.

Punk rock was never supposed to be about perfection. It was supposed to be about expression.

You did not need expensive equipment.

You did not need the approval of powerful people.

You did not even need years of experience.

You needed something to say.

And the courage to say it.

The Linda Lindas had both.

Soon they were performing alongside established musicians, including opening for legendary punk band Bikini Kill in 2019.

Imagine being a young girl standing onstage before an audience that came to see musicians who helped define an entire movement.

The pressure could have been overwhelming.

But they kept playing.

They were learning, growing, and discovering that their voices could reach far beyond their neighborhoods.

Then something happened that would change everything.

THE MOMENT RACISM BECAME PERSONAL

In early 2020, as fear surrounding COVID-19 was spreading across the world, Mila de la Garza experienced something no child should have to experience.

A boy at her school told her that his father had warned him to stay away from Chinese people.

When Mila explained that she was Chinese, the boy backed away from her.

Think about that.

A young girl standing in school, suddenly being treated differently because of her ancestry.

Not because of something she had done.

Not because of her character.

But because of who she was.

For a child, that kind of rejection can leave a lasting wound.

It can create confusion, embarrassment, anger, and the painful question of why someone would judge another human being before even knowing them.

Mila shared the experience with her bandmates.

And rather than burying the anger, they turned it into music.

Eloise Wong and Mila wrote a song called “Racist, Sexist Boy.”

It was loud.

It was direct.

It was confrontational.

And it carried the frustration of young people who were tired of being treated as though their identities made them less deserving of respect.

Sometimes a song begins with a melody. Sometimes it begins with a wound.

This one began with a child experiencing prejudice.

And the world was about to hear it.

THE LIBRARY PERFORMANCE THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING

May 2021.

The Linda Lindas performed at the Los Angeles Public Library as part of an Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month event.

They were still children and teenagers.

Their instruments were almost as big as some of them.

But when they began performing “Racist, Sexist Boy,” something extraordinary happened.

The anger was real.

The energy was explosive.

And their message was impossible to ignore.

The Los Angeles Public Library shared the performance online.

Within days, the video spread across social media.

Millions of people watched.

Some were amazed by the band’s talent.

Others were moved by the story behind the song.

Many saw something larger than a group of young musicians.

They saw children refusing to accept prejudice as normal.

Established musicians and celebrities began sharing the performance.

Suddenly, The Linda Lindas were receiving attention from around the world.

They had not needed an expensive music video.

They had not needed a carefully manufactured image.

They had simply stood onstage and told the truth about something that happened to them.

Four young girls had discovered that sometimes the loudest voice in the room belongs to the person everyone underestimated.

And their lives were about to change.

FROM A LIBRARY TO A RECORD DEAL

The viral performance brought The Linda Lindas to the attention of Epitaph Records, a respected independent label with deep roots in punk music.

In 2021, the band signed with Epitaph.

Consider how remarkable that was.

Only a few years earlier, they were children learning to perform together.

Now they had a recording contract and a growing international audience.

But fame arrived while they were still growing up.

They still had school.

Homework.

Family responsibilities.

Friendships.

And the ordinary pressures of adolescence.

While other musicians might spend their days traveling between recording studios and interviews, The Linda Lindas sometimes had to balance those commitments with school assignments.

Their success was extraordinary.

But their lives were not suddenly free from the responsibilities of being young.

They had to learn how to grow up while thousands of strangers watched.

And growing up is difficult enough without the entire world having an opinion about who you should become.

GROWING UP: THEIR FIRST ALBUM

In April 2022, The Linda Lindas released their debut studio album, Growing Up.

The title could not have been more appropriate.

The album captured the experiences of young people trying to understand friendship, identity, uncertainty, and the changes that come with adolescence.

Their music was energetic, melodic, and unmistakably influenced by classic punk rock.

But it also contained something refreshing.

They were not trying to imitate the destructive lifestyles often associated with rock-and-roll fame.

They were writing about the world they actually knew.

Their friendships.

Their frustrations.

Their experiences.

Their questions.

The album demonstrated that The Linda Lindas were more than a viral video.

They could write songs.

They could perform.

And they were developing their own identity as musicians.

The same young girls who had once played small community events were now building a genuine recording career.

And they were only getting started.

THE BIG STAGES: PLAYING WITH ROCK LEGENDS

Over the next several years, The Linda Lindas experienced opportunities that many musicians spend their entire lives pursuing.

They shared stages with major artists, including Paramore, Green Day, and The Rolling Stones.

In 2024, they joined Green Day, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Rancid on a major stadium tour.

Imagine that transformation.

From small stages in Chinatown to performing before enormous crowds in some of America’s biggest venues.

The lights.

The sound.

The thousands of faces.

And four young women who had begun playing together before most of them were teenagers.

They were no longer simply a group of children playing punk rock.

They were professional musicians earning their place in a demanding industry.

But the attention came with another challenge.

People kept talking about their ages.

How young they were.

How surprising it was that girls could play so well.

How unusual their story seemed.

Eventually, the band wanted audiences to understand something.

They did not want to be remembered simply as a good band for their age. They wanted to be recognized as a good band. Period.

And that meant continuing to grow.

NO OBLIGATION: REFUSING TO BECOME WHAT OTHERS EXPECTED

In October 2024, The Linda Lindas released their second studio album, No Obligation.

The title reflected an attitude that had become central to their identity.

They did not want to be controlled by other people’s expectations.

They did not want their music reduced to a single viral moment.

And they did not want to remain frozen in the image of the young girls who had performed at a library in 2021.

The album explored growing older, changing friendships, anxiety, independence, and the pressure to become someone others expect you to be.

Their sound expanded beyond straightforward punk rock, incorporating influences from new wave, garage rock, power pop, and Spanish-language music.

On “Yo Me Estreso,” Bela Salazar addressed anxiety and stress through a song performed in Spanish, featuring an appearance by “Weird Al” Yankovic.

It was another reminder that the band was willing to experiment.

To take chances.

To be themselves.

Their music was growing because they were growing.

And that is something the world sometimes struggles to accept.

People may celebrate who you were when they first discovered you, then become uncomfortable when you refuse to stay that person forever.

But growth requires change.

And The Linda Lindas were not interested in standing still.

2026: A NEW CHAPTER AND A BIGGER SOUND

By 2026, the four musicians who had once been described primarily as children had become young women with years of performing and recording experience.

They signed with Reprise Records and released their third studio album, Gotta Get Out, on August 28, 2026.

The album marked another important step in their musical evolution.

Working with producer Carlos de la Garza, Lucia and Mila’s father, they developed a broader sound that drew from punk, new wave, power pop, and other influences.

The project included “Closer,” featuring Paramore vocalist Hayley Williams.

For a band that had once opened for some of its musical heroes, collaborating with established artists demonstrated how far its members had come.

They were no longer newcomers trying to prove they belonged.

They were musicians developing their own place in the industry.

And they continued touring, introducing their music to new audiences.

Their story was no longer simply about four girls who went viral. It was about four artists learning how to build a future beyond the moment that made them famous.

THE STRUGGLE PEOPLE DON’T ALWAYS SEE

The Linda Lindas’ story is not filled with the same tragedies that have defined so many famous rock bands.

There is no documented history of devastating drug addiction or catastrophic personal destruction at the center of their rise.

And we should not invent darkness simply to make their story more dramatic.

But that does not mean their journey has been without challenges.

They have faced racism.

They have dealt with the pressures of growing up in public.

They have balanced school and music.

They have experienced the expectations placed on young women in an industry that has not always treated female musicians fairly.

And they have had to navigate the difficult transition from being celebrated as unusually talented children to being judged as adult artists.

Those struggles deserve recognition.

Because not every battle leaves visible scars.

Some battles are fought against stereotypes.

Some against insecurity.

Some against expectations.

And some against the fear that the world will stop listening once the novelty wears off.

Their greatest challenge may not be proving that they can play music. It may be continuing to believe in their own voices as the world tries to define them.

THE DEEPER LESSON: NEVER ALLOW HATRED TO DETERMINE WHO YOU BECOME

There is something especially meaningful about the moment that brought The Linda Lindas international attention.

Their breakthrough began with a young girl experiencing racism.

That experience could have produced bitterness without purpose.

It could have caused her to withdraw.

It could have convinced her that her voice did not matter.

Instead, she and her bandmates turned that experience into a song.

They spoke out.

And millions of people listened.

That does not mean every expression of anger is righteous or that every response to mistreatment is wise.

But it reminds us that prejudice can cause real harm, even when the person experiencing it is a child.

The Bible teaches us something far greater than judging people by their race, nationality, or appearance.

Acts 10:34–35 (KJV):

“Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.”

God does not measure human worth by skin color, ancestry, or social status.

And Jesus taught us how to respond even when others mistreat us.

Matthew 5:44 (KJV):

“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;”

Those words are not easy.

Especially when someone has hurt you.

Especially when the mistreatment was undeserved.

But Christ calls us to something greater than returning hatred for hatred.

He calls us to love, truth, and righteousness.

That is not weakness.

It requires tremendous strength.

And it is a lesson every generation needs to hear.

THE FINAL TRUTH: YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE OLD TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

The Linda Lindas began as four young girls with instruments, enthusiasm, and the desire to make music.

They were not born as international rock stars.

They were not guaranteed success.

They did not know that a performance in a public library would change the direction of their lives.

They simply kept showing up.

They kept learning.

They kept writing.

They kept performing.

And when something happened that hurt them, they found a way to express themselves.

Their story is a reminder that age does not determine whether someone has something meaningful to contribute.

A young person can demonstrate courage.

A young person can recognize injustice.

A young person can encourage others.

And a young person can begin making a difference long before the world considers them old enough to matter.

The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4:12 (KJV):

“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

Paul was speaking to Timothy about his conduct as a young Christian leader. We should not assume that The Linda Lindas share his religious convictions. But the broader reminder about the potential of young people is worth considering.

Never underestimate someone because of their age. Never assume that a quiet person has nothing important to say. And never believe that your beginnings determine how far you can go.

The Linda Lindas did not need to become someone else to find an audience.

They embraced their backgrounds.

They used their talents.

They worked hard.

And they continued growing beyond the moment that introduced them to the world.

Their story is still being written.

And perhaps that is what makes it so remarkable.

They have already accomplished extraordinary things, yet much of their future remains ahead of them.

**Four girls walked onto a stage with guitars and drums. The world saw children. But those children had something to say—and they refused to let the world silence them