Bebe Rexha Biography

Bleta Rexha (born August 30, 1989), known as Bebe Rexha, is an Albanian American singer-songwriter, known for being the lead vocalist of the American band Black Cards created by Pete Wentz, and for writing the number-one Billboard Hot 100 hit "The Monster" by Eminem featuring Rihanna.

Biography

Rexha was born on August 30, 1989 in Brooklyn, New York City, from Albanian parents originating from Debar, Republic of Macedonia. Rexha began her approach to music at the age of 4, and continued to pursue her love for music through high school, taking part in musicals such as Hello, Dolly!, Jesus Christ Superstar and Fiddler on the Roof. She was inspired by musicians such as Stevie Wonder, Tori Amos, John Legend, and The Temptations. Rexha earned the "Best Teen Songwriter" at the National Academy of Recording Arts & Science’s annual New York "Grammy Day" event, that allowed her the opportunity to meet many successful music producers.

Black Cards

In March 2010, Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz formed an alternative electro band with Rexha, called Black Cards. Wentz decided to form the group during his break from music in 2009, when he decided to concentrate more of his time on raising his family. During this period, Wentz started being inspired by Jamaican music, and decided to contact producer Sam Hollander to discuss an idea to mash up ska, dance and reggae music with '80s British rock and pop to create an experimental sound. Hollander was instrumental in introducing Rexha to Wentz, as Rexha would spend a lot of time in his studio writing and recording songs. Wentz decided to sign Rexha under his Decaydance label with Island Def Jam, and during on an interview on MTV, he announced that album was set to release for mid-2011. In the same year, the duo released their first single Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Fame, but the album was postponed to March 2012, according to reports from an interview that Wentz did with Spin magazine. On January 12, 2012, the band announced via Facebook that Rexha was no longer a member of the group.

Solo career

In 2012, Rexha started her solo career. She began to publish some acoustic covers and original demos on her YouTube channel. In 2013, she signed with Warner Bros. Records, after having success as a professional songwriter, penning songs such as Like a Champion for Selena Gomez on the album Stars Dance, Glowing for South African-born Island Def Jam recording artist Nikki Williams, and the number-one Billboard Hot 100 hit The Monster for Eminem featuring Rihanna. The Monster, the Eminem chart-topping hit, was originally called "Monster Under My Bed". It was recorded by Rexha as one of the possible songs for her debut solo album. But after recording it, Rexha and the other collaborators decided it would be perfect for Eminem, so they pitched his label a stripped down version of the song, that was later reworked to become The Monster. In the same year, Rexha release an original pop track on her SoundCloud page, Comeback Kids, and is featured with Roseland, New Jersey-based EDM group Cash Cash on their single Take Me Home, which peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rexha is working on her debut album, and has already entered the studio with producers such as David Guetta, and Frequency, among others. On March 21, 2014 Bebe released via Warner Bros. Records her first single from her debut albul I Can't Stop Drinking About You.