Bebe Rexha stopped by the Z100 studios to talk about her hit song "I Got You" with Maxwell. It's always exciting for artists to hear their songs on the radio, but hearing her music on Z100 was particularly special for Rexha. A New York City native, the 27-year-old pop star grew up listening to Z100 with her dad. Hearing "I Got You" played on the radio station she tuned in to every morning growing up was pretty emotional for her.
It's a no brainer, though, to play Rexha's track. It's one of those songs you can't help but sing along to when you're driving in the car with your friends. Rexha knows exactly what she's doing, as well, and has been working towards this huge success for close to ten years. Before becoming a bona fide pop star herself, she wrote amazing songs for artists like Rihanna, Eminem, Nick Jonas, and Selena Gomez. Rexha told Maxwell that she always writes songs intending on singing them herself, but a lot of her songs ended up going to other artists before she had a record deal of her own.
Rexha pointed out that talented, innovative artists like Sia and Pharrell are changing the game, which forces her to work hard to "create [her] own art and make it really special." Rexha draws on personal experiences to make her music stand out. She told Maxwell that she believes that lyrics don't have to be super deep or complex to resonate with fans. Rexha believes if you take a simple phrase and embed true meaning into it, people will be able to relate to that. She cites Drake's "Fake Love" as inspiration for her to use the simple hook "I Got You" in her song.
The personal experience she drew on for "I Got You" was a bad break up she experienced before heading out on tour with Nick Jonas. After being together for a year and a half, her boyfriend broke up with Rexha over text message. When she was ready to love again, she met somebody who had also been hurt and they were both keeping their walls up. Rexha wrote the song about the situation, telling this person that she won't hurt them.
2017 is poised to be a big year for Bebe Rexha. We can't wait to hear more honest, catchy music from the pop star!