Def Jam Recordings artist Bibi Bourelly, red hot after Entertainment Weekly named her one of “Best Things We Saw At SXSW” and she made her first appearance just days later on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, will release Part #1 of her debut EP FREE THE REAL on May 6th. The EP will contain Bibi’s new track “Sally” and the Global Top 5 Spotify Viral Breakout, “Ego“. Part #2 of FREE THE REAL will arrive early summer on Def Jam.
Bibi, “pop’s coolest new girl” proclaimed EW, will kick off the EP run with a performance on CBS’ The Late Late Show with James Corden on May 4th. On the release day of FREE THE REAL: PART #1, May 6th, Bibi will host the first in a series of “Society Sessions” in New York City. Each session will be a mixture of performances, art and DJ sets from various people in youth culture and, of course, a performance from Bibi herself. Further sessions will take place in Los Angeles, London, and Berlin, dates tba. Fans can expect to meet Bibi’s co-stars in the “Sally” video, each of whom has overcome personal crisis, has freed themselves of hate and fear, and grown comfortable in their own skin.
Bibi burst out as a solo artist with “Ego” whose video she developed and produced herself. The clip was shot in the streets of her hometown Berlin and was cast with friends and family members to give it an added personal touch. Complex.com praised “Ego”: “a brazenly bluesy track slowly churns out Bibi’s guttural vocals that grind and scratch below the surface, unfurling like an emotional purge in the gut…” The Fader called it “brilliantly raw.” Noisey summed up: “It’s lyrically idealistic… Bourelly’s stance is unapologetic and bold – keep your eyes and your ears on this one.”
Bibi Bourelly’s path to Def Jam began in Berlin, where she was born into an artistic family. Her father is the prolific jazz and Black Rock Coalition guitarist Jean-Paul Bourelly, of Haitian and American descent; and her late mother, of Moroccan descent, was the head of the Art Department at Berlin’s House of World Culture. Bibi’s decision to immigrate to the U.S. in high school eventually brought her to Los Angeles, where her music career took off. She has written for the likes of Rihanna (4 tracks including “Bitch Better Have My Money,” “Higher,” “Pose” and “Yeah, I Said It”); Selena Gomez (“Camouflage”); Usher & Nas (“Chains,” and Usher’s upcoming new single); and Nick Brewer (“Talk To Me” featuring Bibi Bourelly).
Bibi was introduced to New York fans when she joined Usher and Nas on “Chains” at the October 20th Tidal X marathon benefit concert at Barclays Center in Brooklyn; view their live performance featured later that same night on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! She also co-stars alongside Nick Brewer in the video for their collabo, “Talk To Me.”
“Free The Real: Part #1” Tracklist:
1. Sally
2. Ego
3. Guitar
4. What If
5. Riot
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bibibourelly
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bibibourelly
