Bebe Rexha gets real about life with bipolar disorder

Bebe Rexha has gone on the record about what it’s like to live with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder‚ literally. Rexha’s new album, out today, addresses her mental health in a way that’s as vulnerable and honest as the tracks where she sings about love, both finding and losing it. "I've learned that you have to be your own cheerleader. I wish I would've known that 10 years ago," Rexha says about her second release, Better Mistakes. "If you don't love yourself, who the f--k will?'

Two years ago, at the age of 29, the pop star was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, a condition that can cause people to vacillate between manic highs and depressive lows in terms of mood and psychological state. Rexha, who penned tracks for Rihanna and Eminem early in her career, manages her diagnosis with “a lot of therapy” and medication. "It's a part of me I am constantly dealing with. It's tough," she told People, adding that she relies on support from family, her dog, and her partner, Keyan Safyari. "I'm in such a better place in my life. I feel so much more free and at peace," she said.

It’s a good headspace to be in as Rexha works on promoting the new album and she’s already found success with the record’s first single, “Break My Heart Myself.” The track is a collaboration with Travis Barker and the singer premiered the music video for it last night. In it, she addresses the difficulties she’s faced in learning to manage her bipolar disorder.

'Hello, my name is Stevie / Actually, I'm lying, it's really Bebe / It's the meds, they make me really sleepy / Klonopin, my friend, yeah, she numbs the feeling," sings Rexha. "My doctor upped my dosage / My mom felt bad, so she sent me roses / But without it, I get really hopeless / And 5.7% of Americans know it," she adds, referencing the number of people living with a bipolar diagnosis.

"Sometimes putting it in a song normalizes it for me,” said Rexha, who’s been vocal about issues like body positivity and sexuality in the past. “It's just my truth."

When it comes to both singing and talking about what she’s going through, Rexha’s main goal is to offer encouragement to her fans who might have similar experiences but less support. “I think that when I was young and going through anxiety and depression and feeling really lonely, I would have loved to hear about one of my favorite celebrities or artists or somebody that I looked up to talking about that, ’cause then I would feel less alone,” Rexha said in an interview with the New York Post. “That’s why I like to be really open with my mental health, and hopefully it helps whoever out there needs it in some way, shape or form.”

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[video_embed id='2192941']BEFORE YOU GO: Selena Gomez and Big Sean launch new projects for Mental Health Awareness Month[/video_embed]