Meredith Brooks is still a little bit of everything all rolled into one.
More than 28 years after releasing the ‘90s single “Bitch,” the woman behind the massive hit is grateful that her song continues to be music to so many people’s ears.
“I am honored, and I think it’s because as we evolved in 25 years, hopefully people get smarter and more evolved,” Brooks, 67, exclusively shared with Us Weekly when describing the song’s staying power. “The song is based on the Jungian theory of the shadow self. Now they know that they have an inner child, and they have an inner saint, and they have an inner sinner, and they have all these things. … It’s something that people understand really well from a deeper level.”
In just the past few months, singers like Brandi Cyrus have released a remix of the 1997 hit. Austin Butler is also expected to sing the song in his upcoming movie, Caught Stealing.
Ann Curry’s Life After the ‘Today’ Show: What Happened to the Journalist
If you ask Brooks, there’s even more to come with other familiar faces and voices.
“I think it’s incredible, and I’ve been waiting a long time,” Brooks joked to Us. “I used to joke around saying, ‘Oh, yeah, this is my son’s college fund.’ But things aren’t what they used to be, because we have Spotify and things but that also keeps it alive. Social media keeps it alive.”
While Brooks admitted that she “used to be a lot more picky” in approving who gets to cover her song, she’s more lenient these days.
With new audiences discovering the song every year, Brooks said fresh fans are discovering her entire body of work for the first time.
“What’s interesting right now — because of Spotify and because of social media — I found that more people know the rest of my music better today,” she said. “Back then, people didn’t even know [the song] was me, even though we — at least in L.A. and I think it was with [radio host] Rick Dees — charted to top 10. … We just didn’t have social media to talk about it back then, and I’m really glad, in a lot of ways.”
While Brooks has an active Instagram today, it’s often filled with nostalgic posts and memories from the ‘90s.
She keeps her “young adult” son off social media, but is proud to say “he’s in the family business.”
“I have to ask permission for every single photo I ever post,” Brooks said while laughing. “I’ll post a picture of when I was working with Katy Perry and her holding him as a baby. That was 20 years ago. … Becoming a mom was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
In addition to motherhood, Brooks continues mentoring rising talent and producing artists behind the scenes. She calls Los Angeles home, where she is working on a book about her life.
Inside Kimberly McCullough’s Private Life After Leaving ‘General Hospital’
“I don’t know if I will have the guts to put it out,” she teased. “It’s telling my story of how did I do this? Coming from a small town in Oregon, and then having this massive worldwide album and then it’s still going. I’m the queen of resilience. That’s what my friends call me.”
Perhaps she hasn’t been able to finish the book because her career in the music industry is far from over.
“I can’t talk about certain things, but I am working with certain artists, and everybody wants to keep everything secret, which I’m not really sure why since social media is just all about, you know, being naked,” she joked. “But more to come.”
