Melbourne singer Rebekah Behbahani releases self-made reality show Behind Behani on Channel 7
Melbourne singer Rebekah Behbahani has self-produced a reality TV show for Channel 7 spotlighting her journey towards global pop stardom. So, brilliant marketing move or merely a vanity project?
Fiona Byrne
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It is either a brave, expensive and brilliant marketing move or a vanity project, but Melbourne mum Rebekah Behbahani is determined to show via her own reality TV show the path she has taken to fledgling pop stardom.
Rebekah, whose stage name is Behani and who is engaged to Melbourne billionaire Alex Waislitz, stars in Behind Behani, an eight X 30-minute episode reality series that she and Waislitz have executive produced.
Reality shows built around one person are something of a rarity in Australia and cameras follow the singer from St Kilda to Sydney, LA and New York.
Meanwhile, Rebekah’s pop career is at the heart of a multimillion-dollar legal dispute with her sister.
Rebekah and Waislitz are currently being sued by Venus Behbahani-Clark, a Real Housewives of Melbourne star, who alleges that her sister owes her a Toorak townhouse for her help in launching her singing career.
It is claimed in court documents that via a series of deeds Rebekah promised Venus the property, which is owned by Waislitz’s company Thorney Equities Pty Ltd, if Venus resigned from, and signed over her shares in, Behbahani Productions in mid-2021.
Rebekah in her defence claims she signed the 2021 deed under duress and argues that had she obtained legal advice from her solicitor she would not have signed any of the deed documents.
Behbahani Productions was set up by the sisters in 2020 to promote Rebekah’s pop career, which Venus would manage. Venus claims she and her husband James Clark were responsible for her sister’s opportunity to work with international stars.
As that legal dispute plays out in the background, Rebekah is pushing on with her musical ambitions and has surrounded herself with international directors, producers and image makers.
Behind Behani, which is written and directed by David Rousseau who has masterminded music videos for Drake, Pitbull, Marc Anthony and Lil Wayne, launched on 7Bravo on Wednesday with the first episode being pretty light on with drama.
While it could be described as the reality series no one asked for, Behind Behani certainly sets Rebekah, who is 33 according to company documents and a former KPMG business adviser, apart from the rest of the rising pop crowd.
In her own words, Rebekah was a “corporate chick” before returning with the encouragement of Waislitz to her first love music, who she reportedly met at a party hosted by Real Housewives of Melbourne favourite Lydia Schiavello in 2017 which she attended as the plus one of her sister Venus.
She is now working with Beyonce collaborators, Grammy Award winners and marquee names.
Setting up her own record label, Stormness Records, the name inspired by daughter with Waislitz, Storm, Rebekah released her first single in 2022, Real Man which US singer Ne-Yo co-wrote and appeared on.
It was produced by US music heavyweight Scott Storch.
Following releases included Comfortable, which features US rapper Tyga, Pretty Beast, Do It, Again & Again and Medicine, which is her most successful solo single to date.
She has also worked with French Montana and DJ Khaled and recently had a support act slot on Ne-Yo’s Australian tour.
She has is attended to by an enviable ‘glam squad’ including American stylist Vince Gamble who has worked with Beyonce and US hairstylist Jet Presley, and has worn bespoke pieces by FROLOV, who has created outfits for JLO, Beyonce, Dojacat and Sabrina Carpenter.
Her support team includes Melbourne psychic Harry T, who she describes as a wizard, and Melbourne stylist, Suzy Eskander, who doubles as her manager.
Sharing the spotlight on Behind Behani is Waislitz, the former husband of respected Melbourne philanthropist Heloise Pratt, with the show teasing that he and Rebekah are busy planning their wedding.
Channel 7 did not provide any viewing numbers for the first episode when asked.
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