Fans know her as Becky G, the fabulous singer behind the 2014 hit "Shower," but before she came to mainstream music, she was a child actress.
She was a nine-year-old when she decided she wanted to make money, acknowledging that she was too young for most jobs, however, she did not want to be deterred from her decision.
"I need good food on the table. I don't know what [my drive was all about]. I still try to figure it out and unpack it in therapy, but it was out of necessity," Becky told Teen Vogue.
She looks back at that time of her life, describing it as a "midlife crisis... at nine."
READ MORE: Saweetie New Album 2022 Pushed Back Again? Singer Says She's 'Taking Time' For This
Hustle and Struggle
Becky G, born Rebbeca Marie Gomez, was raised by Mexican-American parents. She started her acting career at the age of 10, she was part of a KIDZ BOP commercial.
She was featured in KIDZ BOP's cover of "Pocketful of Sunshine," alongside actress Olivia Holt.
Despite now mainly focusing on her music career, she also starred in several other movies and shows including "Empire," "Good Mourning" by Machine Gun Kelly, "Power Rangers," the 2017 live-action among others.
According to her interview with Teen Vogue, Becky was bullied in school due to her acting career as a child. The bullying got so bad that she had to continue her education through homeschooling. This was one of the struggles she had to endure prior to her success.
In 2008, her family lost their home. She shared that she was not able to graduate high school and had to focus on developing her career to financially aid her family, and by age 15, she was the sole provider.
"My parents were broke and we had to check 'homeless' on our lunch applications. I remember how embarrassing it was to get my lunch taken away because I was in deficit," she revealed.
Breakthrough
Becky began posting videos of her covering songs on YouTube. One of her covers caught the attention of producer Dr. Luke, and that landed her a record deal with Kemosabe Records.
She has worked with several artists after that, namely will.i.am, Cher Lloyd, Cody Simpson, and more throughout 2012. "Oath," a song she performed with Lloyd gained the public's attention, receiving an RIAA gold certification and it entered the Billboard Hot 100.
Her hit song "Shower" came in 2014, and became an instant success, catapulting her to the mainstream music scene.
According to Rolling Stone, "Shower" was meant to be for Katy Perry, however, it landed on Becky's lap and she made it into the artist fans now know her as.
"For me, the lesson [was] that the song was bigger than me. Anyone could have sung that song, but I was very lucky. It took me to so many places. I can enjoy it now."
READ ALSO: Rina Sawayama Gets Real With Pop Star Struggles, Wonders If Anyone Can Understand Her
