For the last few years, Bebe Rexha has, for the most part, been just left of the spotlight. With a few moderate hikes, Bebe has been slowly climbing her way to full fledged stardom. During the last year she achieved a sort of “household name” status with her track, “Meant to Be.” It featured country act, Florida Georgia Line, and came as a bit of a surprise for everyone. By now it’s a bonafide hit, but it’s a perfect example of how unpredictable the general public can be. However, I don’t think this is where most people would first remember her from, personally I heard Bebe for the first time on the Cash Cash hit, “Take Me Home.” It’s been a few years since then and during that time she’s released two EPS and had success on a number of other features. Most notably with Martin Garrix (“In the Name of Love”) and G-Eazy (“Me, Myself, & I”) where she first made a name for herself. Her work on the All Your Fault EPs showed promise for an up and coming pop princess and even though an All My Fault LP was planned, it’s since then morphed in this Expectations era.
“Ferrari” is what I saw as the first true single from Expectations, it envelopes the so-cal blues that we’ve seen from Bebe before. It’s actually a fairly common theme on this dark pop record where Bebe struggles to find happiness among all the fame. As explained in her interview with Billboard, Expectations is titled so because this record reveals how “thought money and fame would bring [her] happiness, but this wasn’t what [she] expected at all.” Bebe’s vocal range is perfect for songs like this; she can hit incredible high notes, but the notes she can’t hit come across shaky, embedding this sadness in her voice. So even though “Ferrari” sonically sounds like an inspiring anthem, her performance comes across emotional and worn down, in all the best ways. As you progress through the record you’ll learn more and more about Bebe’s anxieties (“Don’t Get Any Closer,”) her weaknesses (“Self Control,”) and her struggles with love (“Knees.”)
As far as hits go, “Knees” seems like the obvious choice. With an acoustic pop styling, the track incorporates house vibes as Bebe croons about her unrequited love. However, with her record of unusual hits, I wouldn’t be surprised if she launched a ballad into the top 20. It’s not what she’s known for, but “Grace” and “Pillow” are a pair of ballads that could knock down a few pop peers in the last two years. There’s actually a number of great pop ballads on Expectations, which are few and far between on pop albums these days. I’ve typically found, if there are decent bops on the album, the ballads always seem out of place and weak. Expectations is an outlier in this regard, mainly because her melodrama attitude follows her across the whole record. Keeping the album consistent makes the record feel more authentic and makes the ballads fit among the rest of the dark glitter.
“Mine” brings trap Bebe out again, serving auto tune & attitude before she brings in the emotion on the closing tracks. “Meant to Be” is the final track on Expectations and while I wasn’t a huge fan of the song when I first heard it on All Your Fault Pt. 2, it definitely found a home here. What’s more surprising is how in line with the theme the track is; Bebe’s been detailing her heartbreak and anxiety, all concluding here, “if it’s meant to be, it’ll be / baby if it’s meant to be.”
couldn’t listen all the way through | not my thing | it’s okay | kinda catchy | ok i really like this | downloading immediately | already in my library
Her voice is very cool. I do wish the lyrics were more varied and not as much repetition of the song title lol, but especially when the beat drops I felt I could definitely jam to this.
