Contests

LISTEN LIVE

Bebe Rexha Kicks Off Bold New ‘Dirty Blonde’ Era

It looks like class is in session, and Bebe Rexha is teaching everyone how to step into a brand-new era with confidence. The Grammy-nominated singer officially announced her upcoming visual…

Bebe Rexha attends the 2022 MTV VMAs
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for MTV/Paramount Global

It looks like class is in session, and Bebe Rexha is teaching everyone how to step into a brand-new era with confidence.

The Grammy-nominated singer officially announced her upcoming visual album Dirty Blonde on Thursday, Feb. 12. To get fans ready, she dropped a Diplo-mixed supercut teasing all 13 tracks and their music videos. Think of it like a movie trailer, but for an entire album.

And if the preview is any clue, this chapter is not about playing it safe.

A Fearless New Chapter

Much like her earlier projects, Dirty Blonde blends a mix of sounds including pop, EDM, country and hip-hop. Instead of dropping everything at once, Rexha plans to release each song one by one in partnership with independent label EMPIRE.

But this time, the music comes with something even bigger: total control.

"This next chapter is about creative freedom — trusting my instincts, trusting my voice, and finally doing things the way I’ve always wanted to," said Rexha in a statement as reported by PEOPLE. "I’ve learned a lot, I’ve lived a lot, and I’m fully tuned into myself now. Following my gut has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in my career. This era is fearless, loud, and unapologetic — no filters, no limits. DIRTY BLONDE is me owning exactly who I am."

That message of confidence shows up all throughout the supercut.

A Visual Story That Gets Personal

The video opens with the New York native honoring her roots. She sings a track called “Chica Chica,” delivering lyrics in Albanian while surrounded by burly men with “Bebe” tattoos at an outdoor street party. It feels bold, cultural and larger than life all at once.

Other scenes flip between playful and deeply personal. In some clips, she stands alongside pole dancers. In another, she makes out with a waiter inside a diner. There are sweaty dance floor moments, DJ sets in a nightclub booth, and carefree dancing in a convenience store.

But not everything is flashy.

The supercut also shows Rexha crying while getting hair and makeup done for a shoot. She studies her reflection in a bathroom mirror. She sits alone at a bar. She works out with a muscular trainer at the gym. In one intense moment, she appears in a therapy session.

The mix of confident and vulnerable moments makes it clear that Dirty Blonde is not just about partying. It is about identity, growth and being honest about the hard parts too.

Breaking Free From Old Labels

In an interview with Billboard, Rexha opened up about why this album feels different. It marks her first full-length independent release, and that independence seems to mean everything to her.

"I feel like a lot of people, they saw me through this lens of when I was trying to be, like, this perfect, clean-girl pop star," she told the outlet. "When you’re signed to a major [record label], it’s a little bit stressful, you know? ‘Cause you’re trying to always make everybody else happy. A lot of the big songs that I had, too, were always in my computer — I’d always written them — and they were all basically ‘No’s’ from whichever label I was at."

That frustration helped shape this new chapter.

“Honestly, I haven’t been able to show [this] side of me until now,” she said. “Now I have a label, EMPIRE, that just is allowing me to be myself purely, and they celebrate that, and that’s really cool.”

For Rexha, Dirty Blonde is not just another album cycle. It is a reset. A reclaiming. A moment where she gets to define herself instead of fitting into someone else’s idea of what a pop star should be.

If the supercut is any preview, this era will be loud, emotional, confident and completely hers.

And judging by her energy, Bebe Rexha is not asking for permission anymore. She is simply stepping into the spotlight exactly as she is.

Kayla is the midday host on Detroit’s 105.1 The Bounce. She started her career in radio back in 2016 as an intern at another Detroit station and worked her way here. She's made stops in Knoxville, TN, Omaha, Ne and other places before returning to Detroit. She’s done almost everything in radio from promotions to web, creating content on social media, you name it. She’s a true Michigander, born and raised. So, you can catch her camping or vacationing up north to exploring the downtown Detroit or maybe even catching a sports game. During her free time, Kayla enjoys watching movies, roller-skating, crafting, and music festivals. She and her husband together dip into many of the great things Michigan has to offer. Together they also like to travel. A few hobbies of hers include wine and beer tastings, crafting, hiking, roller skating, movies, home improvement projects, gardening, and festivals. She’s always looking to take on more local events happening in the community. She loves connecting with the community. When writing, Kayla covers topics including lifestyle, pop culture, trending stories, hacks, and urban culture.