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Bebe Rexha says she’s entering a new phase — one where she controls the creative rules. This week the Brooklyn-born singer releases a visual “supercut” for her forthcoming project, while the full-length Dirty Blonde era is slated to arrive later this summer, marking her first major body of work since leaving a traditional label setup.
Rexha traveled back to New York ahead of the rollout and spoke candidly about why this moment matters: after years of writing hits for others and navigating major-label constraints, she has built the space to present a fuller, messier version of herself.
Freedom after the majors
Rexha left Warner Records and signed a new partnership with distribution company EMPIRE earlier this year. She credits that move with giving her the latitude to choose how each song is presented — not just as filler on an album but as individual moments meant to stand on their own.
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“It feels like a rebirth,” she told us, describing renewed energy and a clearer sense of purpose. For Rexha, independence means fewer creative vetoes and more room to celebrate different parts of her identity.
What Dirty Blonde will show
Rexha says the project is intentionally eclectic: a mix of pop swagger, candid storytelling, and cultural touches from her upbringing. The opening sequence in the supercut, she explains, directly nods to her Albanian roots — voices in her native language, everyday neighborhood scenes, and a deliberately raw aesthetic that contrasts with the polished pop image she has sometimes been expected to adopt.
She frames the record as a chance to stop trimming herself to fit someone else’s template. Where earlier singles were often filtered through label decisions, this release is being handled with the goal that “every song gets its moment.”
- Release cadence: A visual “supercut” arrives this week, with the full Dirty Blonde era rolling out across the summer.
- Creative approach: Each track is treated like a single — varied styles and fewer constraints.
- Cultural elements: Tracks include Albanian language and references to Rexha’s New York upbringing.
- Label arrangement: Partnership with EMPIRE emphasizes artistic control and direct distribution.
Industry backing and perspective
Rexha names key figures at EMPIRE — including founder Ghazi and president Tina Davis, whom she first crossed paths with nearly a decade ago — as instrumental to her feeling supported. That backing, she says, changed how comfortable she felt bringing personal and cultural material to the forefront.
“Now I have a label that’s allowing me to be myself,” she said, noting the difference between symptoms of major-label pressure and the autonomy she has today.
EMPIRE’s leadership has publicly praised her songwriting and ongoing evolution, framing the partnership as one that can amplify a global pop voice without smoothing away its edges.
Where this places her in pop right now
Rexha’s career already includes substantial commercial success: multiple Hot 100 entries, several top 10 appearances, and major songwriting credits for other stars. Her 2017 duet with Florida Georgia Line, “Meant to Be,” remains a standout chart achievement in country-pop crossover history.
Yet industry observers and fans alike have debated why she hasn’t always been positioned alongside some contemporaries at pop’s highest tier. Rexha has acknowledged those conversations and — rather than resisting the joke — has leaned into the narrative while pushing forward with new work that seeks to redefine expectations.
“I’ve been doing this for over a decade,” she said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
What to watch for
Expect the visual supercut to foreground personal storytelling and cultural specificity. The album rollout will be worth tracking for how singles are promoted individually rather than grouped under one dominant sonic label — a strategy that highlights the creative gamble of treating multiple tracks as potential hits.
For listeners, the stakes are simple: if Rexha’s new approach sticks, it may become a template for artists seeking major reach without sacrificing the messy, lived-in parts of their identity.
Watch the Dirty Blonde supercut when it premieres this week and follow the full album rollout through the summer to see whether independence delivers the commercial and artistic results Rexha is promising.
