Bebe Rexha "freaked out" when she went to Dr. Luke's house.
Bebe Rexha
The 'Meant To Be' hitmaker claimed the producer's home was a "f***ing mess" and she ended up phoning her mother in tears after suffering a panic attack because of the pressure she felt to write a "hit" on the spot.
Speaking about her first meeting to discuss working with Luke - who is suing Kesha for defamation after she accused him of abusing her - Bebe said: "I show up at his house, and it's a mess -- there's shit everywhere. Imagine a beautiful house in the hills, there's clothes and crap all over the place, tons of guys, music blasting out. It's a f***ing mess.
"Already, I'm freaking out.
"And then I meet with one of Dr Luke's writers, we go upstairs to the top-floor studio, sit down on the couch, and I'm thinking, 'This is my first session, I'm at Dr Luke's -- here we go.'
"And this guy goes, 'So, you don't have any hits. I do. I'm going to go downstairs and hang out with my friends, and while I do, you're going to listen to these tracks, pick your favourite, write the melody and the lyrics, cut all the vocals, and then I'll come back. Then you can go home.'
"I was scared. I went into the recording booth and had a panic attack. I called my mum in tears. And she's, like, 'Just write a f****** song.' And I go, 'You don't understand. If I don't do good, this guy is going to report back to Dr Luke and say that I suck.' "
The 29-year-old star alleged other people in the house were doing "tons of drugs" while she was trying to work.
She told the Sunday Times' Culture magazine: "I tried and I tried, while they're downstairs, doing tons of drugs. That experience, I don't think people can understand what it's like.
"A girl alone in a room with a male engineer, people doing drugs downstairs and having a party, and all this pressure, being flown to LA and you're basically told to write a hit."
Some time later, Bebe finally came face-to-face with Dr. Luke - but their meeting didn't last very long because she spoke honestly.
She said: "I go out to Malibu, Dr Luke picks a Mediterranean spot because he knows that's my vibe, and I think, 'That's nice.' We sit down and he's, like, 'How are the sessions going?' And I say, 'Not good.' Put it this way, the lunch didn't last long.
"I get in the car afterwards, and a woman who works for him goes, 'You do not ever say something like that to Dr Luke's face! You say it's good, then later you can tell me otherwise.' And I go, 'But I'm from New York. We don't lie.' So, look, the sessions weren't good. They flew me home."
Tagged in Kesha