Bebe Rexha for Issue #10

On her dreams of becoming a performing artist:
“I remember when I first moved to Los Angeles and everybody was like ‘you should just go home this isn’t going to work for you.’ I got signed to a record deal and a songwriter deal, and then I had ‘The Monster’ [come out] and they were like, ‘No. You have a record deal and songwriter deal but you should stick to songwriting because you’ll never be an artist.’”

On the success of her Grammy-Nominated single with Florida Georgia Line, “Meant To Be”:
“I think ‘Meant To Be’ is one of those very special situations – not to be corny about it – but it was written in the stars. It’s just so different [and] unexpected, and I think the best things in life are unexpected. I didn’t see ‘Meant To Be’ having the success it did. I knew it was a special song, but I didn’t think it would be that big.”

On paving her own way while still retaining control of her look and sound:
“If I were ever put in a situation where I felt like I didn’t have creative control, then I just left no matter how big the person was. If I’m in a situation where there’s no collaborative effort and someone tells me what to do, I’m out. I’ve been in really weird situations where I’ve looked like an idiot having walked away from a really big producer because I wouldn’t have them tell me who I need to be. Now I feel so glad I was strong and a little cunty.”

Pre-order the Winter 2018 issue featuring Bebe Rexha and many others here.