Bebe Rexha’s Songwriting Credits Beyond the Spotlight

Bebe Rexha is widely recognized for her powerful pop vocals, emotional lyrics, and collaborations with major artists. Before becoming a solo star, however, she established herself as a songwriter whose work helped shape songs across pop, hip-hop, dance, and country music.

One of the more interesting chapters in her catalog is her connection to Selena Gomez. Rexha received a songwriting credit on “Like a Champion,” a track from Gomez’s 2013 album Stars Dance. The song offers a useful look at Rexha’s early ability to write bright, confident pop material for another artist while developing her own identity.

Her catalog extends far beyond that single credit. From Eminem and Rihanna’s “The Monster” to Florida Georgia Line’s “Meant to Be,” Rexha has contributed to songs with very different sounds and audiences. Her songwriting history shows how a strong melodic instinct can move between genres without losing its emotional center.

The Selena Gomez Connection

“Like a Champion” appears on Stars Dance, Selena Gomez’s first solo studio album after the end of Selena Gomez & the Scene. The song has an upbeat, motivational character, built around themes of confidence, resilience, and self-belief. Those qualities fit Gomez’s transition into a more mature solo-pop era.

Bebe Rexha is credited as one of the song’s writers. While she did not release the track as a performer, her involvement places her within the creative team behind a key period in Gomez’s discography. The credit is also an example of how songwriters can contribute to an artist’s sound without appearing on the final recording.

The composition favors a direct hook and an accessible message rather than a highly complicated narrative. That approach became important in Rexha’s later work as well. Whether she was writing for herself or another singer, she often focused on a chorus that could communicate its central emotion immediately.

What The Credit Reveals About Her Writing

Rexha’s early songwriting demonstrates a talent for adapting her voice to a client’s artistic identity. A song for Selena Gomez needed to complement Gomez’s polished pop presentation, while later collaborations demanded very different approaches. Rexha’s value in the studio has often come from recognizing what a particular performer can make convincing.

Her writing frequently combines conversational verses with large, memorable choruses. This structure is effective in mainstream music because it creates a sense of personal detail before opening into a communal refrain. “Like a Champion” reflects the brighter side of that method, while other credits show that she can use the same basic pop architecture for darker or more vulnerable material.

Listeners exploring her solo catalog can hear how her songwriting instincts became part of her own artistic identity. Tracks such as “I’m a Mess” and “I Got You” place emotional conflict and catchy phrasing at the center. A closer look at her most streamed solo songs helps connect those later releases with the writing habits visible in her earlier collaborations.

The Monster And A Major Breakthrough

One of Rexha’s most important credits is “The Monster,” recorded by Eminem featuring Rihanna. The song became a global hit and earned the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Its lyrics present fame and success as something intimidating as well as desirable, giving the track a psychological tension that helped it stand out.

Rexha originally recorded a demo of the song before it reached Eminem and Rihanna. Her presence can be felt in the central hook, which balances fear, self-awareness, and a desire to remain in control. Rihanna’s performance ultimately made the chorus instantly recognizable, while Eminem used the verses to explore his own complicated relationship with celebrity and public pressure.

This credit changed the scale of Rexha’s career. It proved that she could write material capable of crossing between rap and pop audiences, and it gave her credibility among major labels, producers, and performers. The song also foreshadowed her later interest in combining emotional openness with radio-ready melodies.

Dance-Pop, Hip-Hop, And Club Collaborations

Rexha’s songwriting credits include several high-profile dance and electronic releases. She co-wrote “Hey Mama,” performed by David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj, Afrojack, and Guetta. The track relies on a strong repeated hook, energetic production, and a vocal line designed to cut through a dense club arrangement.

She also co-wrote “In the Name of Love” with Martin Garrix. That collaboration takes a more atmospheric approach, using restrained verses and a dramatic chorus to create a sense of romantic urgency. The song became especially successful in the dance-pop market, where emotional vocals and expansive production often work together.

Another notable credit is “Say My Name,” a collaboration involving David Guetta, Bebe Rexha, and J Balvin. The track blends dance production with Latin-pop and reggaeton influences. Rexha’s work across these songs shows her ability to write for different tempos and production environments, from festival-sized electronic music to more rhythm-driven crossover tracks.

Meant To Be And Genre Flexibility

“Meant to Be,” recorded with Florida Georgia Line, became one of Rexha’s signature songs. Its relaxed country-pop arrangement and conversational lyric allowed the track to appeal to both country listeners and mainstream pop audiences. The song remained at number one on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart for an extended run, making it one of the defining crossover hits of its period.

The collaboration worked because Rexha’s vocal style retained its emotional directness while fitting naturally with the duo’s country identity. The lyric presents romance as something that should develop without unnecessary force, giving the song a calm perspective that contrasts with the intensity of many contemporary pop hits.

Its success also challenged narrow ideas about genre. Rexha had already worked in electronic music, hip-hop, and pop, but “Meant to Be” showed that her songwriting could support acoustic instruments, country harmonies, and a more organic production style. The song became a strong example of how a clear hook can travel across musical categories.

Writing For Herself And Others

A useful distinction in Rexha’s career is the difference between writing a song and being the person who ultimately records it. Songwriters may create the melody, lyrics, chord movement, or overall concept, then allow another artist to shape the final vocal performance. Rexha has occupied both sides of that process.

When she records her own material, her husky tone and expressive phrasing add a personal layer to lyrics about insecurity, desire, independence, and heartbreak. When she writes for other performers, she adjusts the emotional framing and vocal demands to suit them. That flexibility is a central reason her credits cover such a wide group of artists.

Her work with G-Eazy on “Me, Myself & I” is a strong example of this balance. The song pairs an introspective theme with a clean, memorable refrain, allowing Rexha’s vocals to provide contrast against G-Eazy’s rap verses. It reflects her recurring interest in self-reliance, emotional distance, and the tension between public confidence and private doubt.

A Broader View Of Her Songwriting Legacy

Rexha’s songwriting legacy is larger than any single hit. The Selena Gomez credit matters because it captures an early stage in her development, before her own solo profile reached its full scale. Later songs demonstrate that the same writer could contribute to award-winning hip-hop, festival dance music, country-pop, and confessional pop.

Her career also illustrates the collaborative nature of modern music. Producers, topliners, vocalists, lyricists, and performers may all shape a finished recording. Studying the credits behind a song can reveal connections that are easy to miss when attention stays only on the singer named in the title.

This broader songwriting perspective applies to other artists as well. For listeners interested in how a performer’s musical identity develops through craft and arrangement, an exploration of Ed Sheeran’s acoustic techniques offers a useful comparison. Sheeran’s guitar-centered writing and Rexha’s hook-driven pop approach use different tools, yet both show how recognizable musical choices can become part of an artist’s signature.

Essential Credits To Explore

• “Like a Champion” for Selena Gomez, which reveals Rexha’s early contribution to polished mainstream pop.
• “The Monster” for Eminem featuring Rihanna, a defining example of her dramatic and instantly memorable hooks.
• “Meant to Be” with Florida Georgia Line, demonstrating her command of country-pop crossover writing.
• “In the Name of Love” with Martin Garrix, highlighting her ability to pair vulnerability with electronic production.
• “Me, Myself & I” with G-Eazy, showing how her vocal presence can anchor an introspective hip-hop collaboration.

Bebe Rexha’s connection to Selena Gomez is one part of a much wider creative story. Search her credited songs, compare the original performers, and listen for the recurring details in her melodies, lyrics, and choruses across MusicBCN’s searchable music collection.