Source: Bebe Rexha/Instagram
Bebe Rexha has returned to the beginning of her career, where she presented a brief but powerful message that warmed the hearts of her local fans with the feelings of nostalgia and pride. The pop-up star sent out an almost nothing message saying; ‘staten island mami.’ And at the same time, she added emojis signifying nail polish and sparkle that very much indicated a very homecoming kind of thing that touched everybody familiar with the unique culture of the borough. This humble post quickly turned into a community platform where people mixed their personal stories with jokes that only locals would understand.
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The expression ‘Staten Island mami’ by itself is very significant, it is like a C.V. for the people living in the often-overlooked area. It conveys a sort of; style, behavior, and self-respect that is absolutely Staten Island. For Rexha, given name Bleta, daughter of Albanian immigrants, and raised in that very borough; this post is or represents more than just a location marker. It is a proclamation of her personality. She has been tied to that area for her entire career and now she is like a performer who has come back to her roots but with a different role.
The situation was such that her audience responded instantly and their comments were full of local flavor. A follower immediately mentioned a local delicacy, saying ‘Get me rainbow cookies from royal.’ This was a reference to Royal Crown Bakery, which is very well known and is a local landmark. Then there was a funny back-and-forth with another follower criticizing the secrecy that surrounds getting such treats, saying, ‘ma’am that’s neighborhood hides. She can’t just let people know when she’s acquired the goods!’ It is apparent that these cultures have a very close relationship and thus their communication is very easy.
A further local comment addressed the suburb’s strong sense of community and school pride. ‘Tottenville Pirates 4 lifeeee mama,’ someone said name the high school. This opened a small thread of ex-students reminiscing with one saying, ‘Class of 1981,’ and another saying, ‘hell yeah we did it!’ The interaction shows how Rexha’s post acted as a prop for collective memory and local pride connecting people through generations.
The Albanian community in Staten Island was not quiet and they were pretty vocal in support of one of their own. A statement written in a mix of English and Albanian sent out a big warm invitation: ‘Hajde per kafe @perkup_coffeehouse …Albanian female owned shop on the island!’ This accentuates Rexha’s role as a pride symbol for the borough’s most vibrant and energetic Albanian-American community, and her connection to the international star who is returning to the small but very loyal local businesses.
While the locals were busy talking, the others among her followers were talking about the singer only. ‘stunning!!! welcome home bebe’ and ‘Slay Staten Island queen’ were some of the comments the singer was getting, all celebrating her return. One user, who described himself as her ‘favorite flight attendant’, added a personal touch to his comment with, ‘It’s giving royal crown vibes and leftovers all weekend! Love ya,’ as he was able to blend so well the glam of her career and the cozy normality of a hometown holiday.
Most comments were positive and reflective of fond memories, but this cyberspace channeling also mirrored its characteristic unfiltered nature. Above all the compliments and sweet nothings, there was one unread and unsolicited comment that took the cake for its vulgarity and was undoubtedly inappropriate given the context and environment of the conversation. Though such a thing is not easy, it nevertheless reminded the singer of the tougher aspects of being a public figure and she was able to draw strength from her fans’ love during her homecoming. Bebe Rexha recently declared that some poor decisions were made in Toronto.
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In the end, Bebe Rexha’s minuscule post turned out to be an excellent tiller and a means of communication between her and her fans. It was neither revealing a new project nor showing up on the red carpet, but rather returning to the place that formed her. The ensuing discussion was a colorful depiction of life in Staten Island- its bakeries, schools, immigrant communities, and perpetual pride. The world-famous pop star was for a very short time just a ‘Staten Island mami’ and hanging around the neighborhood and her locals were more than happy to have her back. This simple digital interaction reinforces the idea of the enduring power of place and the genuine relations that develop when a celebrity so openly embraces their roots. She also delivered a powerful national anthem performance at the MLB World Series, and Bebe Rexha has declared she is tired of writing captions in a candid post.
This story originally appeared on Celebrityinsider
