The Untold Truth Of Becky G
Becky G rose to fame seemingly overnight. Most people know the "Shower" singer from her musical collaborations with artists such as will.i.am, Pitbull, and Cody Simpson. However, before the superstar began working with such A-list artists, she was making videos and putting them on YouTube, like so many other young singers.
From a young age, Becky G knew that music was going to be a necessity in her life. She puts a lot of herself in the songs that she writes, and yet, there are still so many things that her fans don't know about her. From her family life to her professional career, here is the untold truth of Becky G.
She had a midlife crisis when she was nine
Becky G grew up in Inglewood, California, and during an interview with Good Day LA, Becky G explained that she is the oldest of four kids. Her parents were high school sweethearts, and by the time her mom was 23 years old, they were already a family of six.
During an interview with a Los Angeles Times reporter, Becky G also elaborated on her family life, saying that due to financial struggles and a bad economy, they lost their house. At 9 years old, Becky G, her parents, her two brothers and younger sister all had to move into her grandparents' converted garage. She recalled feeling so helpless. "That was literally my mid-life crisis when I was nine years old. That's when I felt like, 'Okay, I gotta get my life together. What am I gonna do?'" she explained.
Plus, having three siblings and tons of cousins gave her the motivation to do whatever it took to stand out. She joked with Rolling Stone, "You gotta do something to get people's attention when there's new babies every three weeks.... My way was just being extra loud."
She started rapping at age eleven
Becky G often jokes about her early start as a female rapper. When asked if she was more attached to rapping or singing during her interview with Musik , she was visibly torn. She felt like her love for both was equal, but added that she did start singing first when she was 9 years old, but her interest in rapping came two years later.
She laughed, saying, "Rapping didn't come until I was eleven, which is crazy still because that's so young. Who wants to be a rapper, you know, when you're eleven years old? But I just loved it."
Dr. Luke offered her a deal after 10 minutes
Like so many other artists dying to make it big in the music industry, Becky G turned to the internet for help. She began posting YouTube videos and covers, but it was her cover of Kanye West's song "Otis" that changed her life when it went viral. It caught the attention of Dr. Luke, the famous producer.
Dr. Luke has been behind many hits, such as Katy Perry's "Roar" and Kesha's "Timber", but according to ABC News, his specialty is "turning obscure teens into budding pop stars." Becky G recalls meeting him for the first time, saying, "I sing songs to him on the guitar. I was like, 'Here, these are some of the songs that I've recorded and written,' just started laying it all out. In 10 minutes, he offered me my deal."
In that same interview, Becky G explained that she feels like she has a "second family" with her Kemosabe/RCA record label and Dr. Luke.
Her trademark tooth gap has caused controversy
Similar to how Disney asked Demi Lovato to fix her tooth gap, many people simply assumed that Becky G would want to make her pearly whites even more "perfect." Especially in Hollywood, there is a huge expectation of perfection. However, Becky G has no plans of conforming for anyone.
In her interview with ABC News, she claims her trademark tooth gap is here to stay, saying, "The fans love it and then the haters hate it, of course," she said. "It's funny because so many people have assumed, they're like, 'Wow, aren't you rich now? Couldn't you afford braces?' I'm like, 'Yeah, I could afford braces, but why should I change myself to be what everybody else wants me to be when I'm okay with who I am and I'm happy with who I am?'"
She enjoyed not having her driver's license
Becky G admits that she's never had a desire to get her driver's license. The singer opened up to ABC News, saying, "I may be the one with the talent, but I don't have my license," Becky said, laughing. "I need mom to drive me around and I need dad to still be bread winner of the house."
Becky went on to explain that she didn't feel the need to get her license. She enjoyed taking naps in the car and never wanted to be alone, since she grew up around so many people. However, she did buy herself a car before even getting her license. Ultimately, what motivated her to finally take her test was the fact that she was going to be filming a movie that required her to drive.
Of course, when you are super busy traveling the world and going on tour, it might be hard to find time to practice for your driving test. However, Becky G did take to Snapchat (via M magazine) to reveal when she passed.
She bought her family a new house with her first big paycheck
During Becky G's March 2017 interview with Wendy Williams, Wendy brought up the obvious fact that the budding star had recently come into a good amount of money. Any time there is a massive check given to you, the usual next question is, 'what are you going to buy with it?' When Wendy asked Becky G, she responded by saying, "I think when I was finally in a place where I knew I could make a big step as an adult, I got my family a new home."
Becky remembers it being a big moment for her and her whole family. She even adds that her parents wanted to give her the master bedroom, but it felt wrong. However, she does use half of their closet because she has a lot of stuff.
She was excited to play the first gay Power Ranger but almost gave up the part
Becky G starred as Trini, the yellow Power Ranger, in the Power Rangers movie that was released in March of 2017. Her character turns out to be gay in the movie, and when TMZ asked her how she felt about playing the first gay Power Ranger, she said, "I think it's something really beautiful. It makes me sad that it's such a big deal because I feel like it could have been done such a long time ago, and it makes me really proud."
Becky G also opened up to Wendy Williams about landing the role, saying, "Originally I had no idea I was even auditioning for the Power Rangers. There was no title, no character name, no character breakdown. I was just sent some lines and my agent said, 'do a selftape.'"
However, Becky G explained that she almost did not do the selftape because she was on tour at the time, and there were a lot of people in her tour bus. She felt like she didn't have the time or space to do it. However, Becky G said her agent begged her to do it, so she gave in. They loved her tape, and after she finished her tour, she met with Lionsgate and went through a formal casting process — and the rest is history.
She's a second generation American
In Becky G's 'Why I Vote' campaign, she talks about the American dream, and how much it has personally affected her as a second generation American. Her grandparents on both sides came to America simply because they wanted better lives for their families. Becky G's father was the first born American and his parents referred to him as their "little miracle baby" because he changed it all.
Becky G grew up visiting Mexico quite often, and she refers to her experiences there as life-changing, eye opening and humbling. She would see houses without roofs or furniture. She credits her work ethic and her ambition to her parents and grandparents. The will they had to keep fighting and the bravery they needed in order to hold onto the hope for a better future continues to inspire Becky everyday.
She compares her life to 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory'
There is no doubt that Becky G comes from humble beginnings. Fortunately, she recognizes how lucky and blessed she is to have been given the opportunities she has in life. During an interview with Wendy Williams, Becky G compares herself to the kids in the movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. She refers to the golden tickets, and explains how there were so many chocolate bars, but only a few golden tickets.
To this day, she still goes on YouTube and finds so many amazingly talented people, and it reminds her that she was the one who got that golden ticket. She explained to Wendy, saying, "I got that golden ticket. So, I'm so blessed and it's so crazy that it happened because of the internet."
She battles with severe anxiety, but credits her family for helping her through it
Becky G took to Instagram the day after her 2017 Thanksgiving celebration, in order to reflect on her life, her family, and her career. She also spoke about the occasional "bad things" that happen to her and how she is thankful for them because they make her stronger.
"I recently opened up about my battle with severe anxiety. When I was 15, during what we call "family meetings", I had my first attack. I stopped breathing. My body took control against me. After ending up in the hospital, my parents promised me that I would never have to face a challenge, fear, or pressure too big that would trigger alone."
Becky G credits her family for just about everything. They are there for her whether it's through FaceTime when she is in another country having an anxiety attack, or right next to her, sharing the highlights of her career with her. She gives her parents and her entire family so much credit, and claims she wouldn't know what to do without them. She concludes by saying, "They're everything to me. I love them with all my heart."