Bebe Rexha turns insult into initiative

Bebe Rexha

When pop star Bebe Rexha got “really depressed” over the insults and body shaming she used to get from trolls, it was Katy Perry who helped her get back up and regain her confidence.

“I was on tour with Katy Perry, and she told me not to even read the tweets,” the “Me, Myself & I” singer said in a recent interview in the UK talk show, “Lorraine.”

Now, she can say that she loves her body. And while she still gets negative comments about her figure, she has learned to shrug them off. Told by a netizen that she looked pregnant, Bebe—who has also cowritten hits for such artists as Madonna, Selena Gomez and Eminem—retorted, “No, I’m chubby!”

And that piece of advice, the American singer-songwriter added, inspired her to launch the Women in Harmony initiative—“an environment where only female creators come together and have a safe space in the future.”

“We need more women empowerment. I feel like my music is great; I love being creative. But I don’t just want to be here to buy Chanel bags and make money,” she stressed. “It’s great—let’s not lie about that—but I also want to feel great about helping people,” Bebe added.

Meanwhile, in a recent Twitter post, the 29-year-old musician revealed that she has bipolar disorder.

“For the longest time, I didn’t understand why I felt so sick, and why I felt lows that made me not want to leave my house or be around people; why I felt highs that wouldn’t let me sleep and stop creating music. Now I know why,” she related. “I’m not ashamed anymore.” —ALLAN POLICARPIO