Reneé Rapp On Songwriting, Bisexuality, And Delusion
Samantha Colleran, September 2023
Becoming a musician has always been a dream for Reneé Rapp. Her vocal abilities have allowed her to grow in the theater community, where she won the Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress, and later went on to star as Regina George in the Broadway production of Mean Girls. In 2022 she released her debut EP, Everything To Everyone which took the world by storm with catchy tunes such as ‘Too Well’ and gut wrenching ballads like ‘In The Kitchen’, and on August 18 she released her highly anticipated debut album Snow Angel which has since become the biggest female solo debut album of 2023.
Despite being a renowned actress, Reneé has expressed that she feels her acting abilities are the worst part of her talent repertoire. Many people would beg to differ, as her roles have captured hearts everywhere. . Although Reneé jokes about her acting, she expressed that it has served her music tremendously as musical theater often has a major influence on pop music and pop culture in general. Songwriting was a major insecurity of Reneé’s, but releasing music and seeing people react to it in a positive way has given her the ability to continue sharing her storytelling with the world. She’s particular about the way her voice sounds, tracks such as ‘Poison Poison’ and ‘The Wedding Song’ were rewritten and re-recorded countless times because she wanted to ensure they sounded just right for the people she’s learned from and been inspired by along the way.
Reneé proudly shares that she finds inspiration from sadder moments in life than in happier times and has said that she doesn’t think she has ever written a happy song. Just because Reneé takes on the proud title of sad song queen, that doesn’t mean all of her songs are slow ballads. ‘Pretty Girls’ on the surface sounds upbeat but upon listening carefully to the lyrics you’ll find a deeper story. Reneé is bisexual, a part of her identity she has been proud to share with people in her personal life as well as fans over the years. ‘Pretty Girls’ highlights a common encounter Reneé has had where straight girls want to hook up with her (or other queer women), saying their boyfriends are okay with it and only do it when they’re drunk then act as if it never happened when they wake up sober. It’s a common experience for women who aren’t straight that Reneé captures perfectly, and the track has quickly become a fan favorite.
Being out publicly has allowed Reneé to feel more comfortable in her own skin. Part of that ability to feel comfortable came from the widespread acceptance across her fanbase, many of whom are also part of the LGBTQ+ community, which Reneé shares makes her feel super cool. She acknowledges that there are people who may have it worse than her, and she is fortunate to have people around her that identify in all sorts of different ways yet still uplift each other equally.
As a champion for women in the entertainment industry, Reneé speaks highly of those she’s been so lucky to be surrounded by. She explains how she feels spoiled to be able to work with such incredible women/people who don’t identify as men who she feels are set to become the next big thing in the entertainment world and how they have shaped her into the person she is. Alyah Scott, a fellow co-star and friend, has been with Reneé through much of the Snow Angel process. She directed the ‘Talk Too Much’ music video, and Reneé expressed her gratitude for having Alyah to help with the video concept, which was born only a couple of days before they were meant to begin shooting.
Being delusional has become a trend online, where people have opened up about getting really cool opportunities by faking it until they made it. Reneé’s delusion revolves around the idea of believing she can do things even when she doesn’t believe in herself, which she shares is a frequent thought. She has a constant hunger to create and convincing herself she can do anything she sets her mind to has allowed her to get to the point in her career she is currently at.
Snow Angel gives listeners a solid understanding of who Reneé is as an artist, but like any songwriter Reneé feels that the process of creating the album has left her with more questions than answers about herself. She’s a person who tries to make sense of everything around her, and gets frustrated when she isn’t able to find the answers. Creating Snow Angel taught Reneé to feel more comfortable accepting the fact that she will always have questions about herself and the world.
Snow Angel is available to stream on all platforms now. If you enjoyed reading about Reneé and listening to her music, you can catch her on tour with Alexander 23 and Towa Bird. Be sure to follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok to stay up to date on all of her future endeavors.