The Bebe Rexha we know now is an A-grade pop superstar - she's performed on the stages of countless shows like the MTV EMAs, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, the MTV VMAs and more.
Earlier this year, she dropped a triumphant new song called Last Hurrah, a soaring, powerful track that's about vices and leaving them in the past as you move towards a brighter future.
Following last year's debut album, Expectations, and a string of high-profile hits with the likes of Martin Garrix and Florida Georgia Lane, this one marks a new era in Bebe and we're pretty damn excited for it.
But let's throw it back to the year 2010 for a moment, to a time when synth-pop bands like Cobra Starship and Gym Class Heroes were king and unofficial Fall Out Boy leader/bassist Pete Wentz was leading the way with his label Decaydance.
An imprint of Fueled By Ramen, Pete's Decaydance signed the likes of Panic! At The Disco in their early days, The Academy Is..., Travis McCoy and Hey Monday.
And if you're wondering what all that has to do with Bebe, here it is: for a brief moment, the bassist even started a synth-pop band with... Bebe Rexha.
Formed in 2010, the band was called Black Cards and boasted Bebe on vocals and Pete on bass, leading with the single Club Called Heaven. With a bit of a vaudevillian vibe, it seemed to take inspiration from Panic! At The Disco's circus-like antics.
They followed with the single Dr Jekyll and Mr Fame. It was ahead of its time, an even poppier version of Cobra Starship's electro-pop sensibilities and something Fall Out Boy fans had never seen from Pete Wentz before. Bebe, meanwhile, was just venturing into the music industry - this was her first project and started to get her noticed.
Unfortunately, the band didn't last long in its current state. In 2011, guitarist Nate Patterson left the band, just weeks after Black Cards started talking about the debut Black Cards record, which was apparently completed.
Then in early 2012, the band's big voice Bebe left the band, wanting to explore solo opportunities (we all know how that turned out, so good on her). Black Cards ended up releasing a mixtape soon after, while Bebe went on to get signed and pen huge hits like Eminem and Rihanna's The Monster.
In 2014, Bebe dropped her first solo single, I Can't Stop Drinking About You, and went onto the career she has now, but in an interview last year with NME, Bebe was pretty clear that being in Black Cards really taught her how to perform.
"It was a really cool period. I learnt a lot about music and the entertainment business, and myself. I learned about how much I was able to push myself and what I was capable of. I definitely learned a lot from Pete – I remember when I first went on the road, I didn’t know how to even talk onstage, I was freaked out. I would just watch Pete, and he was so incredible at banter – so funny and so personable," she says.
"It was like a training period for me. I was glad I was in that situation. If I was in any other situation – like if it was like a girl group or something that was too glossy – I wouldn’t have so much depth, because I feel like I learnt a lot from him in that world.”
She also added that she never wanted the band to end, but it was a decision that was made for her.
"I have a love/hate relationship with Pete because of Black Cards. I was really sad – I didn’t want it to end. It was really sad, but the managers told me – they were like: ‘This is not going to work out any more’. I was mad at him, I was like: ‘Why can’t he just tell me himself?’ But then now we see each other all the time, and it’s like: how can you hate Pete? I love him so much, and I see him everywhere.
"I respect him. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him."
And now, Bebe and Pete have teased a potential return of Black Cards with a couple of cryptic tweets.
Could they be preparing to release a song called Heaven Sent?
— pw (@petewentz) June 10, 2019
It's interesting to get a glimpse of the roots of some of our biggest artists right now - from Post Malone covering country songs on YouTube in his early days, to Halsey writing emo pop poems on Tumblr, every star we love now have been on a huge musical journey, and it's pretty cool to see how far and from where Bebe has come.
