In March 2015, a little over a year ago, "Bitch Better Have My Money" graced our stereo speakers with hard beats and even harder lyrics. This song shot to the number one spot, and became the national bad bitch anthem, but much like most pop stars, Rihanna didn't write this song. The mastermind behind it was 19-year old Bibi Bourelly from Germany.
Now 21, Bourelly has also helped collaborate on Rihanna's new album with one of her more soulful tracks, "Higher." Bourelly continues to write hip hop-charged tracks for major artists in the business, like Lil' Wayne and Usher. This is a trend that is becoming more and more popular in the music industry: song writers who aspire to be singers break through by having major artists sing their tracks. We've seen it most recently with Sia, and even Kesha.
This past week, Bourelly released part one of her first studio EP, "Free The Real." I was curious to see what type of genre her album would fall under, because hip hop artists have consistently been the ones that pick up her tracks. Once you play this album, you will find rock-charged riffs and beats laced with Bourelly's soulful vocals, which made it ultimately a genre of her own. One song, titled "Guitar," even features her father Jean-Paul on guitar, which brings something to the music scene that has been lacking recently: authenticity.
In an industry full of singers that don't write for themselves, it's refreshing to see someone play such a huge role in their own album. Bourelly has already made a name for herself behind the scenes of the music industry, and I think it's time for her to break through to the mainstream. I would recommend starting your Bibi Bourelly experience with "What If I Told You." This track on "Free The Real" shows just how pure Bourelly's vocals are, something reminiscent of Janis Joplin.
Bourelly may become a new industry "bad girl," because her lyrics always allude to her never taking any shit from anyone. In "Ego," she melodically chants, "They want me to be this picture perfect girl, in a little picture perfect world, but I cuss when I talk and I lean when I walk." Being unapologetic for who she is and where she comes from is what has gotten Bourelly this far, and hopefully she doesn’t lose this spark.
Recently, soul has been making a comeback in the music industry, with artists like Bryson Tiller, Sia and Sam Smith. Bourelly has the pipes to be on the charts right next to all these artists, because she's bringing soul to the industry in the form of rock-powered tracks, something that the industry has missed for over a decade.
Bourelly has also proved that she can produce fun tracks with her soulful voice as well, as seen with the first song on her EP, "Sally." So wake up and stop sleeping on Bibi Bourelly. She's here and isn't leaving anytime soon.
