Bebe Rexha has confirmed her new album, Dirty Blonde, out 12 June via EMPIRE, marking her first major release as an independent artist. The Grammy-nominated singer introduced the project with a four-minute supercut previewing all 13 tracks, giving fans an early listen while revealing snippets of accompanying visuals.
Fans can now vote online for which songs they want released first, helping decide the rollout order for Rexha’s new visual album, which will include a video for every track.
“I worked so hard on this album. It’s been three years now, and every song is so important to me. They’re like your babies, you know? I don’t want to be conformed by a certain sound or certain boundaries,”
— Bebe Rexha, speaking to Billboard.
Bebe Rexha’s new era of creative freedom
The singer describes Dirty Blonde as her most personal and boundary‑free project yet — a statement of self‑ownership following years of frustration with major-label 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. I’ve learned a lot, I’ve lived a lot, and I’m fully tuned into myself now,”
— Bebe Rexha, official statement.
“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,”
— Bebe Rexha.
The 13-track project blends pop, dance, ballads, and country, with Rexha transforming into multiple eccentric characters across each visual. One standout, “Çike Çike,” features bilingual lyrics in English and Albanian — a nod to her heritage. Rexha, born Bleta Rexha to Albanian parents, joins artists like Dua Lipa and Ava Max in celebrating their shared roots.
Fans vote for the next single
As part of her independent rollout, Rexha has launched a voting system on her website, letting fans determine the release order of her singles. The interactive platform updates engagement tallies in real time through social media likes and shares.
Currently, “Çike Çike” leads the polls, closely followed by “New Religion.” The first official single, “I Like You Better Than Me,” arrived earlier this month with its own video release.
This participatory approach gives her listeners direct input while driving pre‑saves, engagement, and visibility across social media platforms; a tactic already sparking discussion among pop analysts and fan communities.
Breaking free from the label system
Rexha’s move to independence follows years of public frustration over limited label support. She previously revealed that her video for “Break My Heart Myself” was self‑funded, and in 2023, she tweeted about the lack of marketing backing for her single “I’m The Drama.”
Those setbacks have now fuelled her ambition to take full creative control.
With Dirty Blonde, Rexha isn’t just releasing new music, she’s redefining how pop artists can build community, ownership, and fan interaction without major‑label infrastructure.
