I'm proud of my work and how far I've come, and I'm proud of the way that I did it.
Bebe Rexha
I grew up in the era of Britney Spears, where artists had songs written for them, and you got up and sang them. That's how I always thought it was.
It's weird to me when an artist comes in, and the label says, 'We want him to sound like Chris Brown,' but he says he wants to sound like Sean Paul. There's a huge disconnect - it's like we're making a product.
I never wanted to take the easy way, and I was always willing to hustle.
You get to the point where you're like, 'I'm just doing me, and if people don't like it, then it is what it is.'
Life is hard. It is. And it's like, I don't want anybody feeling any pain.
Sometimes it gets a little too bubblegum for me, but what I do love about KPop videos is their attention to detail, and their choreography and dancing are always spot-on.
The most important thing to me is that it's all really raw.
If you're in a dark place, you're there for a reason. And the only way to get through to those kids or to other people going through the same thing is really to meet them in that dark place and then slowly bring them to the light.
I rolled up my sleeves and said, 'I want to make a mark on this world.'
I played the trumpet for nine years, and then I joined the choir after that, and then I was in musicals in high school.
It's one thing if you write a song and somebody else sings it because you give the OK. But if your voice is on something and you don't get the credit, it's kind of hard.
I'm very obsessed with not being perfect.
When I was 16, I had a really big hit in the K-pop world. It was a hip-hop/R&B/pop song. I kinda strayed from that because of the writers I was hanging out with.
Music changes so fast, and we're in a singles market.
I try to photobomb as much as possible.
It must be so hard trying to figure yourself out in this industry. Justin Bieber has hit rock-bottom with everyone watching him; that is just so tough.
I'm not one to be like, 'What is everybody doing? Let me do that!' I just do what I want.
Nicki Minaj is a very strong woman who knows exactly what she wants. As an artist, I understand her, and I could see how she could be misunderstood by a lot of people, but she is really passionate about her art, and that's something I really admire about her.
I think in a lot of situations I had got songs stolen from me, or treated badly.
I went through that stage of the Mumford & Sons and the Alanis Morissette vibe. I was in a dark place at the time.
Anytime there was an award show, it was a ritual where me and my mom would sit around and watch with my friends. We would make desserts and buy chips and popcorn and see what our favorite performances of the night were.
It's a very hard industry, and it's very cold. It's loving for when you have a hit record, but when you don't have anything going on, there's really not much support.
I bought these pink sticker things... and I would write things on them, and I wrote, 'I will write an international smash,' and shortly after, it was when we did 'Monster,' and it was an international smash.
When I was a little girl, my dream was just to hear my song on the radio. It was very fascinating to me, and I was like, 'How do I do that?' Now it's like, 'Oh my God, my song is on the radio!'
I turned sadness into an anthem for not letting anything or anyone slow you down.
I'd love to work with Kanye West. He's gone through a lot of stuff in the public eye, but his music is genius. He always takes risks.
I just want to be a little more real. Maybe I'm a little bit darker than others.
I want to be Kanye and do what he does musically. I'm very fearless.
I was the girl that didn't go to prom or my graduation because I was too busy working with producers and making music.
I've had situations where producers would be like, 'Could you meet me? Take the train; don't tell your parents.'
I have put absolutely everything into my album. I feel like it's been such a long journey to get here. It is like giving birth to my first child, and I want to make sure I did everything right.
I view myself as a male artist.
If you can't find dry shampoo, baby powder is great.
I'm very tomboy, and I'm inspired by hip hop artists.
We don't walk around wearing candy stuff all day or colorful stuff. It's like, I walk around wearing black.
We just recently saw Bruno Mars at the Hollywood Bowl, and he was incredible.
I think, especially in pop culture, we're brought up to think that a normal pop star is this pretty, well-kept-together girl.
When I first was a part of 'The Monster,' I really wanted to put it out under my name, but no record label thought it was good enough - until Eminem liked it.
I never thought of myself as a songwriter. I was just an artist writing songs, and they just happened to get placed.
We don't wake up happy and looking absolutely perfect and feeling amazing every day, you know? We're only human. So I think, with me, I'm not really scared to let people see that - because it's real.
For mascara, I'll just use whatever I have in my bag. I'll use anything. I feel like, from drugstores to a Saks, they are all the same to me.
I think what people get confused about is that they want to label me as this EDM girl, but a lot of this stuff is genre-less.
One of my biggest inspirations was Alanis Morissette's 'Jagged Little Pill.'
I don't judge people on their personal lives.
I just respect Kanye as an artist.
I want to release six songs, let people listen to those, let them chill for a second, do a tour, release another six songs, chill for a second and then take my favorite four, put them on the album, and add some more.
It's tough hearing your voice on the radio, on a chorus, and knowing that people think it's another artist.
I have never spoken to Eminem. I've never even spoken to him once.
I have a lot of respect for Eminem and Rihanna. They are both very real in their music.
