IN CONVERSATION WITH BEBE REXHA

interview by MAREK BARTEK

Returning as an independent artist with her latest album Dirty Blonde and an upcoming tour, Bebe Rexha enters a new chapter defined by creative freedom, emotional honesty and unapologetic dance-pop. Fresh off the release of the visual album, Rexha talks heartbreak, “neon churches,” sampling Faithless and finally learning how to feel again.

top and skirt DURAN LANTINK
hat TCS
earring ALEXIS BITTAR

Congratulations on your latest album Dirty Blonde, do you feel like you’re out of the Khia Asylum?

I don't know if I'm out of it yet, that’s up to the fans. All I know is that I'm really proud of my album, the music and the visuals I've made, and what's to come with the tour. I'm just happy to be putting out music that I love.

Your two leading tracks New Religion and Hysteria are truly dance hits but at the same time they aren’t so different from the music you’ve been making this whole time. What do you think has shifted that your music is again resonating with so many people?

I think it comes from inner peace and a mindset of starting to believe in yourself again. I was in a major label system but I was feeling super frustrated and looking down on myself; I felt like I couldn't put out what I wanted to, and I just wasn’t getting the support I needed. Now I’m with a whole new team, being an independent artist. All of a sudden, I can do things in a non-traditional way, which is so much more fun, especially as a creative person. 

I just feel very lucky. I’m in a happier place and more confident; and I’m just making music I love — I get this sensation of feeling again. Hysteria and New Religion are more upbeat but there are some songs on the album like The Way I Want You, Nightfalls, Time and I Like You Better Than Me that touch on subjects of heartbreak, vulnerability, and time that has passed that I now regret but I know better times are coming. I've been able to unlock what I kind of numbed out for a while, so to be able to feel again — it feels like a rebirth.

dress LAQUAN SMITH FW26
coat KID SUPER FW26
shoes MARK GONG FW25

Were you surprised by the reaction of the people now that you've put out music that is really under your creative direction?

I was nervous, but excited. I think fans really connected with the fact that this era took a non-traditional approach — creating 13 visuals and a full visual album as an independent artist isn’t easy when you don’t have the budget of a major label behind you. You have to be more resourceful and surround yourself with people who genuinely believe in the project, the music and the vision.

When you have a team like that, it feels collaborative in a real way — like you’re all building something together rather than just hiring people to shoot a video. I think the supercut especially excited fans, because they could see all these little glimpses and start guessing which songs would become their favourites.

hat SIDEARA ST. CLAIRE
trench coat KATII
shoes JW PEI
tights and gloves THE NEON ARCHIVE
jewelry ALEXIS BITTAR

New Religion kick-started this whole new era but it also marks a very special milestone — it is the first time that it was allowed to sample Insomnia by Faithless. What did this mean to you?

I still feel like I haven’t fully processed it, because when we first wrote the song, getting the sample wasn’t even my main focus. After I’m Good, I actually didn’t want to do another sample song because, as a songwriter, I’m very sceptical about remaking songs. So when we finally got the clearance, I was genuinely shocked — I was almost certain it wouldn’t happen because Insomnia is such an iconic dance track.

What made it even more meaningful was that Faithless actually wanted to be part of it. That felt like a real stamp of approval. A lot of artists don’t want to attach themselves to sampled versions of their work, so having their support meant a lot to me.

What I love about New Religion is that it never came from trying to recreate a hit. At that point in my life, I had felt emotionally numb for a really long time, and dance music was one of the only things that could make me feel something again. I call nightclubs “neon churches” because that’s where I felt alive again — the lights, the bass, the energy of the dance floor. Writing that song kind of reconnected me with my feelings.

Were you feeling any sort of pressure sampling such an iconic sound and putting your own spin to it?

Oh, definitely! Some people in the industry told me it wouldn’t be received well, so there was pressure in that sense. But once the song started coming together, I realised it had its own emotional story behind it. It wasn’t just about using a famous sample — it became part of a much bigger personal journey for me.

At first, I thought I was making a straight-up dance album because those were the only songs I could emotionally connect to at the time. But after a while, I started writing more vulnerable tracks again, songs about love, heartbreak and longing. So this album really became about learning how to feel again.

wearing NAEEM KHAN
jewelry ALEXIS BITTAR

There’s so many iconic songs out there, why did you pick Insomnia?

Honestly, it happened very randomly in the studio. One of the co-writers played the drop and I immediately recognised it. I was like, “Wait… isn’t this Insomnia?” and my producer was like, “Yeah, we have to use this.”

It just felt right instantly. Growing up, I’d always hear the song because my uncle used to play it all the time. In America it wasn’t really a radio song — it lived in clubs — so I knew it more through family and through that atmosphere. I think it stayed somewhere in my subconscious, and once we started building the song around it, everything clicked naturally.

What has this whole process taught you about yourself?

This whole process has taught me to stop overthinking. Who gives a fuck what other people think? Of course, I want the fans to love it, but I also realised that some things — doing things that make you happy and being creative — just matter so much more. I've learned to let go, and to be more unapologetic. I've learned to not ask for permission. 

I was so desperate for a long time to get to a certain point in my career, and now I've had success and whatever is meant to be will be. I just want to be a better person every day and make the best art that I can — and I feel like people can feel that.

If you look at Zara Larsson, for example, she was just on tour in her best shape, just doing what she does, and you could just feel her energy and tell that she was in such a better head space.

Once you're finally in that state —which I feel like I'm closer to than ever — something really magical happens and people feel that. You can't lie to the public.

coat SEKS NYC
shoes YAMIERA
glasses DOLCE & GABBANA

Do you have a favourite song on the album?

The Way I Want You. It's about a real story about heartbreak and unrequited love. It took me a really long time to get back to myself because at the time I really thought I’d found the one, and then he broke up with me. I wasn't able to write about it for a long time, so being finally able to talk about it in the song feels extremely therapeutic. 

We lived in different time zones, and I recall having these dilemmas of “Should I call him? Should I not call him? But it's 4 a.m. Where is he?” I was trying to stop myself from reaching out a million times a day. I put all that into the song.

I’ve never been good with words, which is kind of ironic. Even at school I didn’t love reading, but my songwriting is something I truly enjoy. I think my style is more conversational, and this song truly reflects that. 

And then also there’s the music to this song and a beautiful transition. The beginning is really slow and acoustic, and then it goes into a rhythmic verse, and starts building up into a rock  part, and it ends in a dance moment. If I were to describe myself in a track, it would be that.

coat DOLCE & GABBANA
top and skirt DURAN LANTINK
earrings DOLCE & GABBANA

You said you grew up in America but to me you're such a Europop artist, and I think Europop is having a moment of revival. You've mentioned Zara Larsson but I also recently saw that Inna is going on a tour. Why do you think people are coming back to music like this?

I think it's the times we're in, and I feel like Europop or dance music, which is really celebrated in Europe, is truly healing. I mean, who doesn't want to listen to a dance song and just dance, feel free and good?

What do you love about this genre of music? 

I'm a very dramatic girl. I’m very melodramatic, and I feel like dance music allows me to be that very authentically. It gives me goosebumps. It feels nostalgic and it just makes me happy — and who doesn’t want to be happy?

leather top DIESEL Pre-Fall 26
bangles ALEXIS BITTAR

You’re going on a tour and you’re also going to be at quite a few European festivals. What can we expect from the tour and the festivals?

Get ready to fucking party and have a good time – and wear comfortable shoes because we're going to be dancing and jumping a lot. We’re working really hard on the whole production from costumes to music because I want to make sure it’s a real show, and that it takes you through a journey or all the ups and downs. And I just want it to be the best fucking night ever.

hat SEKS NYC
chain VITALY
jacket SEKS NYC

What is then next for you as an independent artist?

To never stop. I'm going to continue writing, I want to be in the studio all day, every day. If I could be in the studio right now, I would be.

I don’t like to say things, which are too far ahead because sometimes they don’t happen but maybe I’d like to start a brand on my own. Especially being a curvier girl, I feel fashion isn’t really there, and it’s harder to find things that fit well — even if it’s just a pair of jeans of shape wear. Besides that, hopefully another successful album, see the world, and fall in love.

TEAM CREDITS:

talent BEBE REXHA
photography TYLER PATRICK KENNY
styling ROWAINE GRANT at CELESTINE AGENCY

makeup COLBY SMITH at THE ONLY AGENCY
hair SKY KIM at THE ONLY AGENCY
photography assistant LUCA THALEMANN
styling assistants ANGEL SIPILIA, AYANA AYLUARDO, JONATHAN BAEZ, KELAN RICHARDSON & YOUVANI BOYD
studio BLONDE STUDIOS
studio hosts ANN LAWLOR & JULIA STAHL
editor TIMI LETONJA
editorial director JANA LETONJA
interview MAREK BARTEK
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN