Bebe Rexha All Songs

Bleta Rexha was born on August 30, 1989, in Brooklyn, New York, to Albanian parents. Her father, Flamur Rexha, an Albanian born in Debar when it was Yugoslavian, emigrated to the US at the age of 21, and her mother, Bukurije Rexha, was born in the US to an Albanian family with roots in Gostivar. (Debar and Gostivar are both part of modern-day Macedonia.) In the Albanian language, Bleta means "bee"; derived from this, Rexha gave herself the nickname "Bebe" as part of her stage name. Bleta and her family moved to Staten Island, New York, when she was six.

Beginning in elementary school, Rexha played trumpet for over nine years. She taught herself to play guitar and piano. Rexha attended Tottenville High School on Staten Island, where she took part in a variety of musicals. She also joined the choir, while still in high school. After joining the choir, she discovered that her voice was a coloratura soprano. Rexha lists Coldplay, The Cranberries, Lauryn Hill, and Kanye West as musical influences, additionally expressing interest to collaborate with the former.

As a teenager, Rexha submitted a song to be performed at the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences' annual "Grammy Day" event. Rexha earned the "Best Teen Songwriter" award, beating around 700 other entrants. As a result, she signed a contract with the talent scout Samantha Cox, who encouraged Rexha to enroll into songwriting classes in New York City.