Just Jaded
Delusion to Pop-Stardom: The Future of Pop Music is Reneé Rapp
By Kelly Carciente
Multi-hyphenate Reneé Rapp takes the world by storm with her transition into the pop sphere. Despite her lengthy career in acting and musical theatre, singing has always been Rapp’s goal.
It comes as no surprise that a powerhouse performer like Rapp, who first made headlines playing Regina George in Broadway’s adaptation of the 2004 comedy Mean Girls, would flourish in a musical space as she showcases her polished vocal training in her own musical projects. In 2022, Rapp released her debut single, ‘Tattoos,’ a ballad drawing the attention of millions of fans, further preparing her for the release of her debut EP Everything To Everyone that same year. As she departs from the acting world, notably for her involvement in HBO Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls, and with only a few very well-received tracks under her belt, the collective anticipation for her debut album Snow Angel has been growing ever since. Rapp discusses all things music, her identity in the music space, and her future as an artist in recent ˚1824 press conference.
DELUSIONS TO POP-STARDOM
Music was always the goal for Reneé Rapp. She grew up listening to her idols across genres like R&B, pop, and rock, and cleverly translates her influences “from [her] ears” outward. Hailing from North Carolina, Rapp has always been destined to perform. She grew up in the performing arts: She participated in musical theatre for years, earning a Jimmy Award at 18, and set off to Broadway. Music set on the back burner, Rapp took to Hollywood to establish herself as the iconic Leighton Murray in College Girls, which she would leave following the second season. Now, she finds herself becoming what she always aspired to be: A pop star.
Rapp explains that, although she was fortunate enough to land monumental acting roles, she never believed acting was part of her strongest suits. She found insecurity in her acting and her songwriting for the longest time; however, now she has proven her exceptional talents in all respects.
Alongside her tireless efforts to polish her skills, Rapp has gotten to where she is with what she attributes to delusion — not in the clinical sense, rather the fun manifestation of knowing that, inevitably, one will achieve one’s goal regardless of how much doubt or lack of direction one has. She describes it as “a weird innate belief in myself and a real hunger to do something that I love so much … my little BFF”. Ultimately, the belief that she would achieve her goals would be enough to motivate her confidence.
IDENTITY
The 23-year-old also touched on her identity as a singer in the performing arts, but also the ways in which being a bisexual woman has influenced her career and her work.
In an industry infused with male dominance, Rapp emphasizes how “spoiled” she feels for being surrounded and supported by women and non-men in her career as she feels she is “a product of the people that [she is] around”. She lovingly points out she would not be where she is without her noted “best friend and greatest confidant” Alyah Chanelle Scott — her co-star on College Girls — who is involved in many aspects of her work and her personal life, from directing many of her music videos to singing background vocals on Snow Angel. Rapp also uses the term “delusion” as a mask to get around the frustrating double-standard women and gender-diverse individuals face where they are taught bold confidence is equated with intimidation, therefore allowing women like Rapp to regain ownership of their confidence.
Rapp continues to touch on her queer identity and how inspiring the community is for her as a public figure and a creative. She has been recognized as a queer icon for portraying an openly lesbian character on the HBO Max show while also publicly and proudly identifying as bisexual. Her music videos, such as recent ‘Talk Too Much,’ directed by Scott, and ‘Pretty Girls,’ directed by Cara Delevingne, centre the perspective of attraction toward other women. Regarding the latter, Rapp explains the frustration she has as a queer woman with other straight women who find comfort in hyper-sexualizing her simply for the fetish of kissing other women. She notes that, while it may be an upbeat song, it showcases some of her saddest lyrics. Ultimately, she expresses how much more comfortable she is in herself and her identity now that she is publicly out and “[has] the grace to do so within this community which [she] would not have had and did not have”.
SONGWRITING & sound
Snow Angel is an attempt to further understand Rapp's complicated feelings and unresolved issues. She finally resolves the frustration of questions she has about herself and her behaviour by realizing that she will always have questions about herself that she can explore.
The album, produced by Alexander 23, flows through various genres, such as pop, R&B, rock, and more. Rapp ensures she is “really proud of where the sonic palette has gone,” as she draws from her music idols she grew up loving, hoping to regurgitate all of the genres she idolized, blending them all together to establish her sound. She mentions rewriting ‘Poison Poison’ a few times for her difficulty in writing eloquently, while also re-recording ‘The Wedding Song’ a number of times to nail her vocal performance: “When it comes to recording vocals, I really take how my voice sounds very seriously. And I want to do a good job, and I want to do the people who have taught me how to sing and have been influences in my life proud. Like, I can’t get out here and say that I love Beyoncé and sound like shit, that’s not fair to her.”
Rapp, charming as ever, emphasizes her desire to display her songwriting capabilities alongside her known vocal capabilities in this project. The lead single, also the album’s title track, showcases Rapp’s range, not only vocally, but in her songwriting and her adaptability to a variety of genres. The track flows from a simple ballad with delicate vocals accompanied by a delicate piano, to further erupt with heavy electric guitars and drums that only amplify her vocal range.
The songwriter explains she mainly draws from more difficult moments in her life when writing, as sad songs come easier to her, which is very apparent in the gut-wrenching lyrics in ‘Snow Angel’: “I’ll angel in the snow until I’m worthy/But if it kills me I tried”. Rapp has always been surrounded by “amazing [storytellers and] incredible writing,” through her experience in theatre, on stage and on screen. She says, “I obviously came from a background of not only listening to incredible lyricists in the pop world and the R&B space and hiphop. But, I also came form Sondheim and Andrew Lippa … and those are very specific, story-driven, beautifully crafted things.” Her incredible imagery and storytelling in her lyrics, but also theatrical musical moments are, therefore, in part influenced by her experience adoring musical theatre.
Reneé Rapp, the multitalented singer-songwriter and actress, is the future of pop music. Any fans of sonic backgrounds resembling Ariana Grande and FLETCHER’s discographies would love Snow Angel. Catch Reneé Rapp on her headlining ‘Snow Hard Feelings Tour’ this fall, supported by Alexander 23 and Towa Bird.
Where to find Reneé Rapp: Instagram I TikTok I Twitter | Spotify
