A Monsterback catalogue

From her early days growing up in NYC, Bebe Rexha started out in the experimental electropop duo Black Cards with Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz. Splitting to explore her solo career, she started uploading acoustic covers to YouTube, which led to a record deal with Warner Bros in 2013.

Her songwriting career started to explode when she penned number 1s for Selena Gomez – "Like A Champion" with its dancehall stylings – and Nikki William's EDM banger "Glowing". Collaborations including "In the Name of Love" with Martin Garrix and "Me, Myself & I" with G-Eazy soon followed.

Unlike Taylor Swift, who has been accused of leaving behind her country roots for crossover success, Bebe came to country after a fully-fledged career as a pop princess. Her songwriting credits also include "The Monster" — Eminem and Rhianna's immense Grammy Award winner for Best Rap/Sung Performance. You can hear Bebe's original vocals on the high-sung whoops in the chorus!

As if her collabs weren't eclectic enough, Bebe's solo work is an often heart-rending delve into her psyche through lush and intense soundscapes that create their own universe. Inspired by everything from classical music and her Albanian heritage to artists like Lauryn Hill, Kanye West and Coldplay, Bebe has released EPs – including "All Your Fault" Pt 1 and 2 – and a pair of studio albums, Expectations (2018) and Better Mistakes(2021).

Break my heart myselfand other stories

In interviews, Bebe has said: "Break My Heart Myself" (2021) is one of her favourite lyrics, describing it as a 'super sarcastic' take on mental illness. In 2019, the singer revealed to fans that she was bipolar and also describes her sexuality as 'fluid'.

A massive supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, Bebe told Gay Times: "Everybody wants to put people in boxes, and I don't like boxes, as you can tell with my music!" She also teased a same-sex relationship with a big star… Bebe has also revealed bullying over her body shape and has earned a reputation as the queen of body positivity.

But her biggest breakthrough came in 2018 when she smashed country music chart records with "Meant to Be." Talking about it on her Instagram Story, Bebe said, "the whole thing about art that's amazing is you make amazing songs, and you never know what's going to pop off. So maybe I'll get into country music now!"

"Meant to Be" was a massive crossover hit for an artist just testing out the country genre, and there's a Gaga-esque vibe about her success. The track spent 50 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart in the US, winning a slew of awards and going multi-platinum worldwide.

Despite not being well-liked by critics and causing controversy when established female country music artists were struggling to get played on the radio, the surprise collab with its message of hope and survival perfectly captured a moment before and after the pandemic. Add in the quiet piano melody, barely there production and harmonic vocal blend, and it's a timeless classic.

Reality TV and acting

Bebe has appeared as a duet partner on American Idol and sang "Meant to Be" with all three finalists in the finale of season 16. The singer has also appeared as a coach on The Voice, replacing Kelsea Ballerini as Comeback Coach in 2021. Bebe has spoken about waiting in line to audition and never getting a callback, so she feels personally connected to what the contestants are going through.

2021 saw Rexha make her big screen debut in "Queenpins", playing a badass hacker alongside Kristen Bell and Vince Vaughan. Inspired by a true story, it opened to largely positive reviews and has an 80+% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Bebe may be too much of a musical butterfly to rank alongside the Taylor Swifts of the music world. Still, to her 10+ million Instagram followers, she's one of its genuinely under-appreciated Queens.

Craig Campbell @ Grindstone Cowboy