NEW YORK (AP) — Pop star Bebe Rexha was hit in the face and injured as a result of a cell phone being thrown from the audience at a show in her hometown of New York City Sunday night, and a man has been arrested, police said.
Police said the Grammy Award-nominated, multi-platinum-selling singer-songwriter was taken to hospital after the phone hit her. A bruise and bandage over her left eye appeared in social media posts she made on Monday.
“I’m fine, yeah, I feel fine,” she sang in a TikTok video, cutting from her recent hit “I’m Good (Blue)” with DJ David Guetta.
Police said Rexha, 33, was on stage at Pier 17, a Manhattan rooftop venue, when the phone was thrown. And a video clip posted on social media showed the phone bouncing off the artist’s head, then Rexa grabbed her face and sank to her knees.
Nicholas Malvegna, 27, of New Jersey, was released without bail after going to trial Monday on assault, aggravated harassment and other charges. Each of them is either a misdemeanor or a violation.
According to a court complaint, Malvagna told a third party that he tried to hit Rexha with the phone at the end of the show because he thought “it would be funny.”
A letter seeking comment has been sent to his attorney.
Three-time Grammy Award nominee, Rexha is best known for songs like “I’m Good (Blue)”, “Meant to Be” featuring Florida Georgia Line, and “I Got You”. Raised in New York, she was a songwriter for other artists before becoming a solo star.
“What I’m learning is that not everyone will relate to you and understand you, and that’s okay,” she told the Associated Press. In April, shortly before the release of her latest album, “Baby”.
She added, “I feel like you have to be your truest, truest version of yourself, because at the end of the day, if you try to change yourself to be liked by other people, you’re not really who you are.”
She is then scheduled to perform in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
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