Meant to Be (Bebe Rexha song)


"Meant to Be" is a song recorded by American singer Bebe Rexha featuring American country music duo Florida Georgia Line, from Rexha's third extended play and later included in her debut studio album Expectations. It was sent to American contemporary hit radio on October 24, 2017, by Warner Bros. Records as the second single from the EP. It was nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

Background

Rexha told Billboard, "I have always respected the country genre and, growing up in New York City, I knew of artists that had crossed over to the pop side, like Faith Hill, Dixie Chicks and Taylor Swift. I never thought a New York girl like me would have a country hit, but I guess it goes to show you that some things are just... meant to be." She went on to say, "When we wrote the song, Tyler was just doing what he does best with his country roots and I was doing what I knew best with my roots. We were just being true to ourselves," Rexha says. "The meaning is simple and honest, and that's why I think it's resonating with the world. The beautiful thing about music is that it allows you to break boundaries, and that's what I want to be remembered for: breaking boundaries."

Accolades

Awards and nominations

Commercial performance

"Meant to Be" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 61 on the chart dated November 11, 2017. It has since peaked at number two, but was kept out of the summit by Drake's "God's Plan", becoming Rexha's third top ten hit and her first as a solo lead artist, as well as the second top ten hit for Florida Georgia Line. It is Rexha's highest-charting single on the chart, surpassing "Me, Myself & I".
It also debuted atop the US Hot Country Songs chart, becoming Rexha's first entry on that chart and Florida Georgia Line's sixth number one. Rexha also became the first female artist to ever debut atop the chart, while "Meant to Be" is the third song overall to start at the summit since 2012, when the chart transitioned to a hybrid data list, blending airplay, streaming and sales. When the song spent an eleventh week in the top spot in February 2018, it surpassed Taylor Swift's "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" as the longest-running number one song on the chart for a lead female artist. In August 2018, the song broke the record previously held by 2017's "Body Like a Back Road" by Sam Hunt for the most weeks at number one on the US Hot Country Songs chart. After spending 50 weeks at the top, it was dethroned by Kane Brown's "Lose It". The song has sold 1,413,000 copies in the United States as of March 2019.

Music video

The music video was filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico and directed by Sophie Muller. It was released on October 23, 2017. As of June 2020, the video has over 900 million views on YouTube.

Track listing

  1. "Meant to Be" – 2:38
  1. "Meant to Be" – 3:02

    Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
US Adult Contemporary 22
US Hot Country Songs 10

Decade-end charts

Certifications

! scope="row"| Portugal

Release history