Baby Rexha is an insecure, self-loathing lover in "I'm a Mess," the incredibly catchy new single from her highly anticipated debut album Expectations.
On Friday, June 13, the singer-songwriter dropped the track with an official lyric video on YouTube.
Bebe Rexha Drops 'I'm A Mess'
In her new track, the 28-year-old sings about her feelings for a guy who does not seem to like her back. She, however, does not blame him. She is aware of her terrible habits that are getting in the way of her developing romantic relationships.
"Nobody shows up unless I'm paying/ Have a drink on me cheers to the failing," she sings in the second verse. "Oh, he don't love me, he don't love me."
To music fans who grew up in the '90s, the hook might sound familiar. That is because Bebe Rexha's "I'm A Mess" takes inspiration from "B****," the 1997 hit performed by Meredith Brooks.
In her new track, the Albanian-American performer declares, "I'm a mess, I'm a loser/ I'm a hater, I'm a user." Whereas, in her '90s hit, Brooks sings, "I'm a b****, I'm a lover/ I'm a child, I'm a mother."
On Friday, Shelly Peiken, who co-wrote "B****" with Brooks two decades ago, revealed on Instagram via Billboard that she was given co-writing credits on "I'm A Mess." While the two songs are not exactly alike, it is impossible not to see the similarities between the choruses.
Bebe Rexha also previously released "Meant To Be," her collaboration with Florida Georgia Line, which topped the Billboard Hot Country singles chart in December.
Bebe Rexha Talks 'Expectations'
"Oh man! I just think life is very unexpected," she explained when asked about the title of her debut album. "You expect to fall in love this way, to be successful this way... this is how you plan your life to go — you'll get married and have kids and this and that — but life is always kinda like: 'Na ah ah, I'm going to do it the way I want to!'"
Bebe Rexha knows a thing or two about life not going the way she has planned. For one, she was not an overnight success; before finally making it big in the music industry, she has faced a couple of career challenges.
In 2010, she formed a band with Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz. It was called Black Cards and they released a handful of singles like "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Fame." and "Club Called Heaven." However, the band fell apart after Wentz decided to quit without telling anyone else.
Then, shortly after, BBC reported that she was signed to Island Records, but that did not work out either. Bebe Rexha continued to persevere and eventually got a gig, writing songs for superstars including Selena Gomez.
Her much deserved big break finally happened in 2013 when she penned "Monster Under My Bed," a song she eventually pitched to Eminem. The rapper, with the help of Rihanna, made the song a global hit.
For her debut album, she is taking risks. She told NME that she is inspired by No Doubt and hip-hop, and Expectations is the unexpected marriage of the two.
"I thought: 'How can I combine that with urban and rhythmic?'" she mused. "So I took rhythmic drum patterns and 808s and put them underneath a cool guitar, and just write super-real songs on them."
Expectations album is set for release on June 22.
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