Bebe Rexha

Bebe Rexha
Rexha performing in 2016
Background information
Birth name Bleta Rexha
Born (1989-08-30) August 30, 1989
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instruments Vocals
Years active 2010–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website beberexha.com

Bleta "Bebe" Rexha (/ˈbiːbi ˈrɛksə/; born August 30, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer.[1] She is known for songs such as "Meant to Be" with Florida Georgia Line, "Me, Myself & I" with G-Eazy, and "In the Name of Love" with Martin Garrix. She has also written songs for various artists such as Selena Gomez and Nick Jonas.[2][3]

Some of her songs performed by other artists include Eminem's and Rihanna's single "The Monster" which won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, and songs for Selena Gomez, Iggy Azalea, Nick Jonas, Tinashe, David Guetta and many others.[1][4] In 2015 she released her first solo EP, I Don't Wanna Grow Up. In October 2016, "I Got You" was released as the lead single from her EP All Your Fault: Pt. 1. In August 2017, her third EP All Your Fault: Pt. 2 was released, which spawned the hit single "Meant to Be" with country duo Florida Georgia Line, which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is also included on her debut studio album, Expectations, which was released on June 22, 2018.[5]

Early life

Rexha was born on August 30, 1989, in Brooklyn, New York,[6] to Albanian parents.[7] Her father, Flamur Rexha, is an Albanian born in Debar, when it was part of Yugoslavia. He immigrated to the U.S. at the age of 21, and her mother, Bukurije Rexha, was born in the U.S. to an Albanian family with roots in Gostivar (which, like Debar, is now part of the Republic of Macedonia).[8][9] In the Albanian language, bletë means "bee"; derived from it, Rexha gave herself the nickname "Bebe" as part of her stage name.[1] Bleta and her family moved to nearby Staten Island when she was six.[7]

Rexha played trumpet and taught herself to play guitar and piano.[10][11] Rexha attended Tottenville High School on Staten Island,[12] where she took part in a variety of musicals.[2][9] She also joined the choir, while still in high school.[11] After joining the choir, she discovered that her voice was a coloratura soprano.[13][14] Rexha lists Coldplay, the Cranberries, Lauryn Hill, Alanis Morissette, and Kanye West as musical influences.[15][16]

As a teenager, Rexha submitted a song to be performed at the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences' annual "Grammy Day" event. Rexha earned the "Best Teen Songwriter" award, beating around 700 other entrants.[7][17][18] As a result, she signed a contract with talent scout Samantha Cox, who encouraged Rexha to enroll in songwriting classes in New York City.[10][19]

Career

2010–2012: Career beginnings with Black Cards

Rexha with Pete Wentz on September 1, 2011 at the Rumsey Playfield.

In 2010, Rexha met Fall Out Boy's bassist Pete Wentz with whom she began working at a recording studio in New York City.[11][20] She became a member and a lead vocalist of Wentz's new experimental project of a band, called Black Cards. The band played a variety of live shows and released several singles and remixes. However, in January 2012, Wentz announced that Rexha had left the band to pursue other endeavors.[21]

2013–2015: Solo debut and I Don't Wanna Grow Up

In 2013, Rexha signed with Warner Bros. Records as a solo artist.[22] Rexha had begun writing several songs, including Selena Gomez's "Like a Champion" and Nikki Williams's "Glowing".[4] Her most prominent songwriting effort of 2013 was Eminem's and Rihanna's "The Monster", which was released as the fourth single from Eminem's album The Marshall Mathers LP 2. The song went on to top the charts for the US Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and won a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Performance at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony.[23] That same year, Rexha also wrote and was featured on Cash Cash's single "Take Me Home".[22][15]

On March 21, 2014, Rexha released her debut single, "I Can't Stop Drinking About You".[15] The song peaked at number 22 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart.[24] The music video was released on August 12, 2014. The video was inspired by imagery from films such as Girl, Interrupted and Melancholia.[25] In November 2014, Rexha was featured on rapper Pitbull's song "This Is Not a Drill".[26] and in September 2014, she was picked as Elvis Duran's Artist of the Month and was featured on NBC's Today show hosted by Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb, where she performed live her single "I Can't Stop Drinking About You".

In December 2014, Rexha released two more singles, "I'm Gonna Show You Crazy" and "Gone".[27][28] On May 12, 2015, she released her debut EP, I Don't Wanna Grow Up, through Warner Bros. Records.[29] She also co-wrote and was featured on David Guetta's single "Hey Mama", alongside Nicki Minaj and Afrojack.[4] The song peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and received 1.1 million downloads as of June 2015. The song did not originally credit Rexha, despite the fact that she sings the chorus and is featured on background vocals. Eventually, in June 2015, she was given a credit for her work.[29][30]

2015–2017: Collaborations and All Your Fault series

In January 2015, Rexha co-wrote and was featured on G-Eazy's "Me, Myself & I". The song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100[31] and at number one on Billboard Pop Songs.[32] The song was originally titled "I Don't Need Anything" and was intended as a song for Rexha herself. Instead, she brought the song idea to G-Eazy and was featured during the chorus.[33]

Rexha met Nicki Minaj's manager, Gee Roberson, and asked if Minaj would contribute to a new song. In March 2016, Rexha released her single, called "No Broken Hearts" featuring Nicki Minaj.[34][19] In April 2016, the music video was released, directed by Dave Meyer.[35] The video accumulated over 240 million views on YouTube.[36]

On July 29, 2016, Rexha and Dutch DJ and record producer Martin Garrix released their single, "In the Name of Love". It peaked at number 24 on the US Billboard Hot 100, at number four on US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs and entered the top 10 in several countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Italy, and New Zealand. The music video was released on August 23, 2016, on Martin Garrix's YouTube channel.[37]

On November 6, 2016, Rexha hosted the 2016 MTV Europe Music Awards, at Rotterdam, Netherlands and performed multiple songs throughout the night, such as her single, "I Got You".[38]

On October 28, 2016, Rexha released "I Got You". Both "No Broken Hearts" and "I Got You" were originally intended for the All Your Fault album.[39] The latter peaked at number 17 on US Billboard Pop Songs[40] and at number 43 on US Billboard Hot 100.[41] The music video was released on January 6, 2017 and reached over 50 million views in four weeks, and accumulated 250 million views on YouTube. Direction changed from a full studio album to a multi EP project and "No Broken Hearts" was scrapped, making "I Got You" the first and only single from All Your Fault: Pt. 1, released on February 17, 2017. The EP peaked at number 51 on the Billboard 200.[42] In March 2017 in Dallas, Rexha began her first solo headlining tour, promoting the EP across North America and Europe, named the All Your Fault Tour, with a total of 29 dates.[43]

Rexha performing in London, 2017.

In May 2017, Bebe Rexha: The Ride aired on MTV—a documentary which explores the moments which changed Rexha's life and journey to stardom.[44]

On July 21, 2017, One Direction member Louis Tomlinson released the single "Back to You", with Rexha and Digital Farm Animals as featured artists. The song peaked at number 40 on Billboard Hot 100.

"The Way I Are (Dance with Somebody)" featuring Lil Wayne was released as the first single from All Your Fault: Pt. 2 on May 19, 2017.[45] On June 12, Rexha performed the song at the Ubisoft E3 press conference, before announcing Just Dance 2018, on which the song appears.[46] The second EP as part of the project was released on August 11, 2017. In support of the EP and American singer and songwriter Marc E. Bassy's debut album, Rexha planned to go on a co-headlining tour across the United States: the Bebe & Bassy Tour, in October 2017. The tour was short-lived due to an infection putting Rexha on strict vocal rest, with Marc E. Bassy eventually going on a solo US tour in March 2018.[47][48]

On October 24, 2017, "Meant to Be" was released as the second single from Pt. 2, with the music video premiering a day earlier.[49][50] The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100[51] and as of October 6, 2018 has spent 44 weeks at number one on the Hot Country Songs chart,[52] breaking the record for most weeks atop the chart previously held by "Body Like a Back Road" by Sam Hunt.

2017–present: Expectations

In September 2017, Rexha began teasing new songs for a third installment in the All Your Fault series, with her manager going on record about its release.[53] However, it appeared plans had changed, as Bebe revealed through a tweet in November 2017 that her next project would be called Expectations.[54] Rexha revealed the cover art for this debut studio album on April 8, 2018, and the album was released on June 22, 2018.[5] Previous singles from All Your Fault, "I Got You" and "Meant to Be" appear on Expectations as well.

On April 13, 2018, "Ferrari" and "2 Souls on Fire", the latter of which features Quavo of Migos, were released as promotional singles along with the pre-order.[55]

On June 15, 2018, "I'm a Mess" was released as the first single from the album.[56]

Artistry

Rexha's musical style has switched each album,[57] but she has been labeled as a pop artist.[58][59] Her songs span a wide range of genres, including K-pop, hip hop, trap, alternative rock, EDM, R&B and country.[58]

She was mainly influenced by Lauryn Hill whom she calls the "Queen of R&B".[60] She was also influenced by other artists such as Bob Marley, Madonna, Blondie, Alanis Morissette and Coldplay.[61]

Discography

Studio albums
Extended plays

Television

Television show Year Role Notes
MTV Europe Music Awards[62] 2016 Host Event presented by MTV Networks Europe which awards prizes to musicians and performers
Bebe Rexha: The Ride[63] 2017 Herself Documentary which explores the moments that changed Rexha's life
Pitch Battle[64] Guest Judge Contest show which sees musical groups facing-off against each other, inspired by Pitch Perfect
A Christmas Story Live![65] Performer A live musical television program inspired by the film of the same name and A Christmas Story: The Musical (2012)
American Idol[66][67] 2018 Herself Season 16 (top 24): Contestant mentor and celebrity duet singer
Big Brother 2018 Herself Season 20 (U.S.)

Awards and nominations

Tours

Headlining
Co-headlining
Opening act

References

  1. 1 2 3 Macas, Trisha (June 28, 2016). "Bebe Rexha: Music is about making people know they're not alone". GMA Network. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Lange, Maggie (April 6, 2016). "Meet Bebe Rexha, the Woman Who's Been Making All Those Top 40 Songs So Catchy". GQ. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  3. ↑ Goodman, William (July 22, 2016). "Bebe Rexha Plays Hits & New Tracks at Acoustic 'Next Up' Seattle Show". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "7 Songs You Didn't Know Bebe Rexha Wrote". Yahoo! Music. August 9, 2016. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Expectations by Bebe Rexha". iTunes Store (US). Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  6. ↑ "QUEEN BEBE 2017's hottest new talent Bebe Rexha opens up about songwriting for big artists and fighting to survive in the 'cut-throat' music industry". The Sun. January 15, 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 Ebro Darden (host), Bebe Rexha (guest) (April 17, 2016). Bebe Rexha talking about being Albanian and songwriting (Ebro Darden Interview). YouTube. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  8. ↑ Zyla, Julian (April 17, 2014). "Bebe Rexha, bashkautorja e këngës "The Monster"". Voice of America in Albanian. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  9. 1 2 Rama, Albana (June 9, 2014). "Singer Bebe Rexha wrote song for Eminem". Kosovo Diaspora. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  10. 1 2 Vincentelli, Elisabeth (July 4, 2015). "Rihanna dissed me, so I wrote her a hit song". New York Post. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 Nelson, Jeff (June 30, 2016). "5 Things to Know About Bebe Rexha, the Breakout Singer-Songwriter You Need to Know (But Have Already Heard!)". People. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  12. ↑ Geisler, Conan (June 29, 2016). "Eminem's 'The Monster' co-writer Bebe Rexha visits Philippines, hates to fly". Yibada. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  13. ↑ Nunn, Jerry (May 31, 2016). "NUNN ON ONE: MUSIC Singer Bebe Rexha: 'Hearts' and soul". Windy City Times. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  14. ↑ Bebe Rexha (guest) (January 21, 2016). Bebe Rexha: "Classical Songs Make Me Cry". Fuse. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  15. 1 2 3 Yotka, Steff (March 21, 2014). "Song Premiere: Bebe Rexha". Nylon. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  16. ↑ Bebe Rexha (guest) (February 9, 2018). Bebe Rexha on How No Doubt, Lauryn Hill & Destiny's Child Shaped Her Sound | Soundtracked | TRL. YouTube. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  17. ↑ McGahan, Michelle (August 27, 2014). "Bebe Rexha Talks Writing Eminem and Rihanna's 'The Monster,' Her Single 'I Can't Stop Drinking About You' + More [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO]". PopCrush. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  18. ↑ Tanasă, Raluca (August 14, 2014). "Bebe Rexha pune Albania pe harta starurilor pop internaționale – VIDEO" (in Romanian). INFOMUSIC. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  19. 1 2 Feeney, Nolan (June 21, 2016). "Bebe Rexha's 7-step guide to breaking into the music industry". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  20. ↑ Song, Sandra (April 13, 2016). "It's Bebe Rexha's Time to Shine". Paper. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  21. ↑ Montgomery, James (January 13, 2012). "Pete Wentz Talks Future Of Black Cards". MTV. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  22. 1 2 Kennedy, John (October 24, 2013). "Singer Bebe Rexha Talks Co-Writing Eminem And Rihanna's 'MMLP2' Collaboration 'The Monster'". Vibe. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  23. ↑ Tanners, Jon (January 7, 2014). "Creating a Monster: How Bebe Rexha's Song Became Eminem's Chart-Topping Hit". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Bebe Rexha – Chart History – Heatseekers Songs". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  25. ↑ Midgarden, Cory (August 13, 2014). "Meet Bebe Rexha: The Anti-Katy Perry Of Pop". MTV. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  26. ↑ Wass, Mike (November 21, 2014). "Bebe Rexha Teams Up With Pitbull On "This Is Not A Drill": Listen To The 'Globalization' Trap-Pop Anthem". Idolator. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  27. ↑ Wass, Mike (December 17, 2014). "Bebe Rexha Unveils Her "I'm Gonna Show You Crazy" Cover Art And Shares Two New Snippets: Listen". Idolator. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  28. ↑ Stern, Bradley (December 22, 2014). "Bebe Rexha Debuts Powerful Ballad, "Gone": Idolator Premiere". Idolator. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  29. 1 2 Lipshutz, Jason (April 29, 2015). "Bebe Rexha Explains Why She Isn't (Officially) Featured on David Guetta's 'Hey Mama'". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  30. ↑ Ryan, Patrick (June 23, 2015). "'Hey,' Bebe! 'Mama' singer gets due credit". USA Today. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  31. ↑ Ryan, Patrick (August 5, 2016). "Q&A: G-Eazy on 'terrifying' Donald Trump, working with Britney Spears". USA Today. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  32. ↑ Trust, Gary (April 11, 2016). "G-Eazy & Bebe Rexha Rule Pop Songs Chart With 'Me, Myself & I'". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  33. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (January 22, 2016). "Bebe Rexha Tells Origin Story of G-Eazy's "Me, Myself & I": Interview". Fuse. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  34. ↑ Riotta, Chris (March 16, 2016). "Nicki Minaj and Bebe Rexha's New Song "No Broken Hearts" Is the Breakup Anthem You Needed". Mic. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  35. ↑ Wass, Mike (April 14, 2016). "Bebe Rexha On "No Broken Hearts," Songwriting & Her Debut LP: Interview". Idolator. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  36. ↑ Levine, Nick (July 11, 2016). ""Respect My Grind": Bebe Rexha Steps Up". Noisey. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Watch Martin Garrix Talk His Collaboration with Bebe Rexha at Lollapalooza". Fuse. July 30, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  38. ↑ Atkinson, Katie (November 6, 2016). "Watch Bebe Rexha Perform 'I Got You' at 2016 MTV EMAs". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  39. ↑ @BebeRexha (September 25, 2016). "I have some dope news. So my album got pushed because of it. But you will be getting new music. I promise you this. October" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  40. ↑ ""Billboard Pop Songs"". January 21, 2017.
  41. ↑ ""Billboard Hit 100"". January 21, 2017.
  42. ↑ @BebeRexha (January 28, 2017). "My album is coming out in two parts. 1st part is moodier/rhythmic/urban" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  43. ↑ "Bebe Rexha Announces First Headlining Tour".
  44. ↑ "Bebe Rexha's Journey To Stardom Explored In 'The Ride' Documentary". Contact Music.
  45. ↑ "The Way I Are (Dance With Somebody) [feat. Lil Wayne]". Google Play. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
  46. ↑ "Bebe Rexha at Ubisoft Conference 2017". Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  47. ↑ Rexha, Bebe [@BebeRexha] (October 23, 2017). "After another appointment with my doctor today, I am on strict vocal rest until Thursday night due to an infection. I'm so sorry Texas" (Tweet). Retrieved December 13, 2017 – via Twitter.
  48. ↑ "Marc E. Bassy announces Spring 2018 tour in support of 'Gossip Columns'". AXS. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  49. ↑ "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on October 31, 2017.
  50. ↑ "Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line Drop Music Video For "Meant to Be"". CBS. October 23, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  51. ↑ "Bebe Rexha Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  52. ↑ "Bebe Rexha & Florida Georgia Line's 'Meant to Be' Breaks New Record". Billboard. July 22, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  53. ↑ Andy Gensler (September 12, 2017). "Bebe Rexha's Template For Artist Development In the Age of Streaming". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  54. ↑ Bebe Rexha [@BebeRexha] (November 9, 2017). "Current Updates: New project coming in New year #Expectations. New record with Machine Gun X Ambassadors called "Home" coming soon" (Tweet). Retrieved April 14, 2018 – via Twitter.
  55. ↑ Apaza, Kevin (April 9, 2018). "Bebe Rexha Reveals Cover Art For "Expectations" Album, Pre-Order Launches This Week!". DirectLyrics. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  56. ↑ "Pop Shop Podcast: Bebe Rexha Opens Up About Exceeding 'Expectations' With Her Debut Album, 'Meant to Be' Chart Record & More". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  57. ↑ "10 questions with Bebe Rexha". The Angle. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  58. 1 2 "On the Charts: Bebe Rexha, Florida Georgia Line Achieve Rare Country Feat". Rolling Stone. December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  59. ↑ "Meet Bebe Rexha, the Woman Who's Been Making All Those Top 40 Songs So Catchy". GQ.com. April 6, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  60. ↑ "Bebe's biggest musical influence is Queen of R&B Lauryn Hill". Capital Extra. March 6, 2018. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  61. ↑ "Bebe Rexha schedule, dates, events, and tickets - AXS". AXS. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  62. ↑ "Bebe Rexha Is Your Host For The 2016 MTV EMAs! | MTV UK". Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  63. ↑ Bebe Rexha: The Ride | Episode Highlights | MTV UK, retrieved December 14, 2017
  64. ↑ "BBC – Let Pitch Battle commence! – Media Centre". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  65. ↑ A. Christmas Story Live [@ChristmasonFOX] (December 13, 2017). "We're so excited to see @BebeRexha perform the opening number "Count on Christmas," written by @pasekandpaul, this Sunday on #AChristmasStoryLive!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 14, 2017 – via Twitter.
  66. ↑ Rexha, Bebe [@BebeRexha] (March 3, 2018). "10 years ago my mother and I waited 10 hours on line to audition for American Idol. I didn't make it through. This year I'm mentoring!" (Tweet). Retrieved March 3, 2018 – via Twitter.
  67. ↑ @radiodisney (March 2, 2017). "The all-star celebrity lineup for duets this season on @AmericanIdol were just announced! We can't wait for @BebeRexha @andygrammer @RachelPlatten @train & @ColbieCaillat!" (Tweet). Retrieved March 3, 2018 – via Twitter.
  68. ↑ Graham, Adam (July 23, 2015). "Bebe Rexha breaks out on Warped Tour". The Detroit News. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  69. ↑ Vena, Jocelyn (May 18, 2015). "Nick Jonas Announces 'Live In Concert' Tour: See the Dates!". Billboard. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  70. ↑ "Photos: Ellie Goulding Brings Her Delirium World Tour to Chicago". The Early Registration. May 6, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  71. ↑ Rexha, Bebe [@beberexha] (May 31, 2017). "Also. I get to open for @BrunoMars #dope" (Tweet). Retrieved October 26, 2017 – via Twitter.
  72. ↑ Perry, Katy [@katyperry] (December 13, 2017). "To bring U more , the March 15 Curitiba show is moving to Porto Alegre at Arena Do Gremio on March 14. for all 3 shows, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Porto Alegre WITH SPECIAL GUEST @BebeRexha go on sale Monday, Dec 18 at katyperry.com/tour" (Tweet). Retrieved December 13, 2017 – via Twitter.
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