Bebe Rexha is FAULT Magazine’s latest cover star. Alongside a stunning photo shoot, the talented singer-songwriter opened up about her debut album Expectations, the runaway success of her Florida Georgia Line assisted single ‘Meant To Be’, and how she’s the defied the odds as one of music’s underdogs.
Back in June, Bebe released her highly anticipated album Expectations, which includes her current single ‘I’m A Mess’. The album was a long time coming and saw the artist put her heart and soul into her debut body of work. Speaking about the songwriting process behind Expectations, Bebe said: “Life is better when you just go with the flow. For me, this album has been all about me trying to figure things out.”
Something which has been important to Bebe throughout the album process and her songwriting in general is having creative control. Each song on Expectations featured a songwriting credit for Bebe, with the songstress stating: “For me, writing music has been like therapy. I couldn’t imagine putting out an album or song without being creatively involved. It’s very important for me.”
One of the key songs on the album is ‘Meant To Be’, Bebe’s country-pop collaboration with Florida Georgia Line. The track first appeared on her All Your Fault: Part 2 EP, but its runaway success meant that it also deserved a spot on her debut album. Just this week, the track has broken the record for the longest running number one in Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart history.
Speaking about the track and its success, Bebe said: “It’s been an incredible journey and I’m so grateful for it. I’d never done country before so didn’t really know what to expect, and I think that was the beauty of it.”
Whilst we know Bebe for being an incredible artist in her own right, she first made waves in the industry as a songwriter, most notably penning Eminem’s ‘Monster’. Speaking about how that song impacted on her career, she said: “That really changed the game for me. It changed everyone’s perspective of who I was and really shone a spotlight on my songwriting, so when I transitioned into an artist, I never once had people tell me what to do. When you write the song yourself, people really connect with it on a different level.”
Over the years, Bebe has grown so much as an artist but it’s taken a lot of determination and perseverance to reach her current level of success. As one of pop’s most underrated talents, Bebe’s worked extremely hard but, at the heart of it all, has also stayed true to herself and defied the odds, which is why we love her so much. “It was never handed to me on a silver platter, like, here you go, you’re a star!” Bebe said. “I was always the underdog. I was a little quirky, a little different, I would write my own songs. But I’m so supportive of other females and other artists.”
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