Biography
Vocalist and songwriter Bibi Bourelly channels an unconventional upbringing into bold, outspoken music that fuses pop, rock, and R&B. Born in Berlin, Germany, on July 14, 1994, she departed for the United States at age 16. Before issuing the 2016 EPs Feel the Real, Pt. 1 and Feel the Real, Pt. 2 as a solo artist, she co-wrote Rihanna’s Top 20 hit “Bitch Better Have My Money” and appeared on a Lil Wayne recording. Following a third Def Jam EP, she amassed further songwriting credits with Camila Cabello, Mariah Carey, and Demi Lovato, then resurfaced in 2022 via the collaborative Solèy EP.
Her father, guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly, issued 12 solo albums and worked with Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Cassandra Wilson, and Craig Harris; her mother directed the art department at Berlin’s House of the World’s Cultures. After losing her mother to cancer at six, the independent-minded youngster grew fiercely self-reliant. School proved an uneasy match for her nonconformist outlook, prompting her departure from Germany at 16 for Washington, D.C. Three years later she reached Los Angeles, taking odd jobs while seeking entry into the music industry.
There she connected online with producer Paperboy Fabe, who introduced her to Kanye West; West placed her in a vocal booth, yielding the track “Higher” that Rihanna recorded and later prompted additional requests. Bourelly consequently co-wrote Rihanna’s number 15 pop single “Bitch Better Have My Money.” By late 2015 she had also co-written Nick Brewer’s Top 20 U.K. hit “Talk to Me” and Selena Gomez’s “Camouflage,” while Lil Wayne released the Bourelly-featured “Without You.”
Def Jam signed her that year, releasing her first commercial solo singles “Riot” and “Ego.” Two 2016 EPs, Feel the Real, Pt. 1 and Feel the Real, Pt. 2, arrived with supporting singles that spanned acoustic pop and trap-rooted R&B; the first EP included her father on “Guitar.” Additional 2016 songwriting appeared on Rihanna’s Anti and Usher’s Hard II Love, and she performed on Little Simz’s “Bad to the Bone.” In 2017 she issued the third EP BOY, presenting stripped-down, unplugged renditions of fan favorites alongside the new song “Sunshine,” accompanied by in-studio videos that featured introductory remarks revealing her inspirations. Closing the decade with singles such as “Writer’s Song” and “Wet,” plus featured appearances on tracks she co-wrote for Little Simz, Hitimpulse, and Jacob Banks, she continued writing for others, supplying material to Camila Cabello’s “I Have Questions,” Christina Aguilera’s “Accelerate,” and Mariah Carey’s “GTFO.”
Bourelly also co-wrote Demi Lovato’s Top 40 single “Anyone,” performed by Lovato at the 2020 Grammy Awards. That same year she appeared with Jean Deaux on TOKiMONSTA’s “One Day.” Her next project as lead artist was the 2022 collaborative EP Solèy, created with poet Maureen Boyer and producer/songwriter Samtrax.
Her father, guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly, issued 12 solo albums and worked with Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, Cassandra Wilson, and Craig Harris; her mother directed the art department at Berlin’s House of the World’s Cultures. After losing her mother to cancer at six, the independent-minded youngster grew fiercely self-reliant. School proved an uneasy match for her nonconformist outlook, prompting her departure from Germany at 16 for Washington, D.C. Three years later she reached Los Angeles, taking odd jobs while seeking entry into the music industry.
There she connected online with producer Paperboy Fabe, who introduced her to Kanye West; West placed her in a vocal booth, yielding the track “Higher” that Rihanna recorded and later prompted additional requests. Bourelly consequently co-wrote Rihanna’s number 15 pop single “Bitch Better Have My Money.” By late 2015 she had also co-written Nick Brewer’s Top 20 U.K. hit “Talk to Me” and Selena Gomez’s “Camouflage,” while Lil Wayne released the Bourelly-featured “Without You.”
Def Jam signed her that year, releasing her first commercial solo singles “Riot” and “Ego.” Two 2016 EPs, Feel the Real, Pt. 1 and Feel the Real, Pt. 2, arrived with supporting singles that spanned acoustic pop and trap-rooted R&B; the first EP included her father on “Guitar.” Additional 2016 songwriting appeared on Rihanna’s Anti and Usher’s Hard II Love, and she performed on Little Simz’s “Bad to the Bone.” In 2017 she issued the third EP BOY, presenting stripped-down, unplugged renditions of fan favorites alongside the new song “Sunshine,” accompanied by in-studio videos that featured introductory remarks revealing her inspirations. Closing the decade with singles such as “Writer’s Song” and “Wet,” plus featured appearances on tracks she co-wrote for Little Simz, Hitimpulse, and Jacob Banks, she continued writing for others, supplying material to Camila Cabello’s “I Have Questions,” Christina Aguilera’s “Accelerate,” and Mariah Carey’s “GTFO.”
Bourelly also co-wrote Demi Lovato’s Top 40 single “Anyone,” performed by Lovato at the 2020 Grammy Awards. That same year she appeared with Jean Deaux on TOKiMONSTA’s “One Day.” Her next project as lead artist was the 2022 collaborative EP Solèy, created with poet Maureen Boyer and producer/songwriter Samtrax.
Albums
Solèy
2022
BOY (In Studio)
2017
Ballin (Remixes)
2017
Free The Real (Pt. #2)
2016
Free The Real (Pt. #1)
2016
Singles
