Bleta Rexha (Albanian pronunciation: ; born August 30, 1989), known professionally as Bebe Rexha (/ˈbiːbi ˈrɛksə/ BEE-bee REK-sə), is an American singer and songwriter. After signing with Warner Records in 2013, Rexha received songwriting credits on Eminem's single "The Monster" (which later received the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Performance) and has also contributed songwriting to songs recorded by Shinee, Selena Gomez, and Nick Jonas. Rexha released her debut extended play in 2015, I Don't Wanna Grow Up, which saw the moderate commercial success of the singles "I Can't Stop Drinking About You" and "I'm Gonna Show You Crazy".
Rexha released two additional extended plays in 2017, All Your Fault: Pt. 1 and All Your Fault: Pt. 2, which again saw the moderate success of the singles "I Got You" and "The Way I Are (Dance with Somebody)". Rexha has also seen success with several collaborations including "Hey Mama" with David Guetta, Nicki Minaj and Afrojack, "Me, Myself & I" with G-Eazy, "In the Name of Love" with Martin Garrix, and "Meant to Be" featuring Florida Georgia Line, the latter of which had large success as a country crossover single, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States. Rexha's debut studio album, Expectations (2018), reached number 13 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and saw the success of its lead single, "I'm a Mess", and brought Rexha two nominations for Best New Artist and Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 61st Grammy Awards. Rexha released her second studio album, Better Mistakes, in 2021. In 2023, Rexha released her self-titled third studio album, Bebe, containing the David Guetta collaboration "I'm Good (Blue)", which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in 22 countries.
Early life
Bebe Rexha was born as Bleta Rexha on August 30, 1989, in Brooklyn, New York City into an ethnic Albanian family from North Macedonia. Her father, Flamur Rexha, was born in Debar, North Macedonia, when it was part of Yugoslavia and emigrated to the U.S. at the age of 21. Her mother, Bukurije Rexha, was born in the United States to an Albanian family with roots in Gostivar, North Macedonia. In the Albanian language, bletë means "bee"; and she explained "My parents are Albanian, and people started calling me 'Bebe' for short." She and her family moved to nearby Staten Island when she was six. Rexha has a brother named Florent.
Rexha took lessons and learned to play trumpet and subsequently taught herself to play guitar and piano. She attended Tottenville High School on Staten Island, where she sang in the choir and took part in a variety of musicals. While in high school choir, she discovered that she was a coloratura soprano. Rexha lists Coldplay, the Cranberries, Lauryn Hill, Alanis Morissette, and Kanye West as musical influences.
As a teenager, Rexha submitted a song to be performed at the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences' annual "Grammy Career Day" event. Rexha earned the "Best Teen Songwriter" award, beating around 700 other entrants. As a result, she signed a contract with talent scout Samantha Cox, who encouraged Rexha to enroll in songwriting classes in Manhattan.
