Yahoo News Becky G Recalls Feeling Embarrassed When She Marked 'Homeless' on Her Lunch Applications as a Child
Josefina Santos Becky G
From a young age, Becky G had one goal in mind: to provide for her family.
In a cover story interview with Teen Vogue Wednesday, the "Fulanito" singer opened up about starting her career at a young age — and the financial struggles her family endured that fueled it.
"We lost our home in the 2008 [financial] crash," Becky, 25, told the outlet. "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 continued, adding that her family had to move into her grandparents' garage.
Josefina Santos Becky G
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At 15, however, the singer, became the sole provider for her family with a YouTube channel, acting roles, a record deal with Dr. Luke and eventually her hit single "Shower."
But for Becky, it got to a point where she was willing to do anything if it meant helping her family.
"Industry-standard contracts looked a certain way when I signed and they look different today," she said. "So young hustlers like myself don't understand it. Because if you told me to run up the mountain, do five spins, clap my hands three times, and do two jumping jacks, I will do it, if it means that I get to provide for my family."
She continued, "Thank God, I can speak another language because where I was in my career felt like I was tied to a sinking ship. And it's terrifying to think at 18–19 years old, This is it. This is the end of what you've dedicated your entire life to."
Josefina Santos Becky G
Looking back, the "Mayores" singer now understands that her desire to succeed was out of necessity.
"The most I could probably do is sell chocolate bars at school, but what are they going to do, give me a toy piano?" she said. "I don't want that. I need good food on the table. I don't know what [my drive was all about]."
She continued, "I still try to figure it out and unpack it in therapy, but it was out of necessity."
In 2017, she told Rolling Stone that she felt the need to push herself and enter adulthood earlier than most her age.
Josefina Santos Becky G
"I didn't realize I wanted to pursue [music] as a career till I was9, which is weird because it's still really little," she told the outlet at the time. "That was literally my mid-life crisis when I was 9 years old. That's when I felt like, 'OK, I gotta get my life together. What am I gonna do?' I pushed that on myself at a younger age than the average kid because at the time my family had lost our home."
This led her to singing. "I figured, 'Why not go into entertainment?' I love entertaining people. I always loved being extra loud. … So I sat down with my parents, and I said, 'Give me six months, and we can get me an agent and a manager.'"
Now, with her career full speed ahead, the star said she's leaving room for "spontaneity" to be "inspired by life again."
