Bebe Rexha Says ‘Insecurities’ and Fears Are Inspiring Her Second Album

Bebe Rexha is wearing her heart on her sleeve while writing her upcoming second album.

Following the success of her 2018 album, Expectations, the “Meant to Be” songstress has had a wild year, being nominated for Best New Artist at the 2019 Grammys and releasing new single “Last Hurrah,” in February while writing new music for her sophomore album, scheduled to be released this year.

“It’s been honestly incredible,” she told PopCulture.com in a recent interview of her last year. “I just feel extremely grateful and blessed.”

While producing her second album, Rexha told PopCulture she was really diving into some tough issues, both broad-reaching and deeply personal.

“I’m excited to put out my second album and writing really honest music, trying to pull out all my insecurities and everything that’s ever scared me and put it in my music,” she explained. “When I get scared with my art…that’s when I feel like I’m being most honest.”

Among those fears are life milestones like “becoming a woman,” insecurities as she ages, watching her parents age and “not having forever with them.”

“I’m really touching on things people aren’t talking about,” she told PopCulture.

On a lighter side of the same coin, Rexha took on the musical challenge of playing with the genre of her new original song “Right Here, Right Now,” remixing it into three totally different bops as part of her partnership with Lay’s for their “Turn Up the Flavor” campaign.

The original version of the song, she explained, was a mixture between pop and hip-hop, but by switching up some of the elements of the music, she was able to create a distinctly hip-hop, pop and rock version.

Each version of the song matches one of Lay’s new chip flavors—Wavy Electric Lime and Sea Salt for pop, Flamin’ Hot Dill Pickle Remix for hip-hop, and Kettle Cooked Classic Beer Cheese for rock.

Drawing on Rexha’s penchant for transcending genres of music, collaborating with Florida Georgia Line for the hit country crossover “Meant to Be,” the project was a natural fit, Rexha explained.

“I don’t like being bound by genres,” Rexha told PopCulture of “Right Here, Right Now.” “I’ve never done that before, and it’s really cool to see how you can take a song and change the genre by the way the music sounds. It was really fun.”

The Voice fans will get to see more of the versatile artist during the ongoing season of the show, as she takes on the role of coach for the hit series’ digital series The Comeback Stage, where she will mentor artists who didn’t make one of the main teams during the show’s blind auditions and select one of them to re-enter the competition.

Visit LaysTurnUpTheFlavor.com for more information.

The Voice airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC.

Photo credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images