Who’s the clown? In every circus, the clown takes the awkward and uncomfortable moments of life and performs them with an exaggerated physicality for comedic relief. Dressed in bright colors with a painted smile, glowing red nose and awkwardly tumbling through a circus is often how every girl coming into adulthood feels at some point. In her own circus, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Audrey Hobert doesn’t dodge the spotlight; she makes the stumble the show.
Hobert was first put onto the internet’s radar when she helped co-write several songs on Gracie Abrams’ second studio album, The Secret of Us—including the beloved song That’s So True, which peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. After her songs Sue me and Bowling alley became viral sensations on TikTok, Hobert released her debut album Who’s the Clown? on August 15, 2025.
With just 12 tracks, Hobert has already managed to captivate the internet with her catchy pop melodies and distinct writing style. Her refreshingly candid, witty and often weird lyrics have become a hallmark of her artistry. From her lyrics to her music videos and personality, audiences have fallen in love with Hobert’s weird girl essence. Hobert brings a fresh perspective to the music industry—she feels real and honest with each song. She sings about being an awkward, weird and self-aware girl, who’s often an observer of those around them. She’s frayed at the edges and embraces it—something that has resonated with her listeners.
“I love Audrey bc she understands the dichotomy of thinking ur the most chopped person alive and also the hottest person on earth,” writes TikTok user @gagmewithaspoon69.
Many of Hobert’s songs feel like you’re reading a page straight out of her diary—it’s a chaotic, yet relatable, stream of consciousness. Her writing is hyperspecific and instantly transports the listener to her perspective in these extremely detailed scenarios—the mark of a great storyteller. Her songs take the listener through various scenarios like people-watching at an A-list Hollywood party (Chateau), stalking your own social media to see how your crush perceives you (Thirst trap), begging your best friend not to take back her toxic ex-boyfriend (Don’t go back to his ass), and hooking up with the performative artsy guy that doesn’t even own a headboard (Sex and the city). Hobert manages to perfectly encapsulate the joys and pitfalls of being a young woman coming of age in a digital era while navigating adulthood, relationships, friendships and insecurities.
The album cover for Who’s the Clown? perfectly prepares listeners to enter Hobert’s bizarre world. She wears a black trench coat as she stands off to the side of a window and a clown intensely smiles at her from the outside. The album cover is indicative of Hobert’s artistry—it’s weird and you don’t really know what to expect from it.
The album’s opening song I like to touch people is a perfect introduction to who Hobert is as an artist. Hobert imagines someone asking her what she likes to do, she pretends to think about it and finally says, “I like to touch people.” It’s her own literal way of saying that she enjoys connecting with people both emotionally and physically.
I’m at a random party
Hand to her heart, some girl I’ve never met completely loves me
I like to touch people
Simply put, Hobert likes to be liked—a tendency she says she learns from her people-pleasing mother. Her desire to be loved and wanted fuels Hobert and fills her with a sense of validation—a common theme amongst the album.
“It’s true, I do like to touch people. It’s my one greatest passion- more than dance or singing or writing. I love people more than I love anything. The feeling of impacting someone gets me so high,” Hobert writes on her website.
This theme continues on the next track Sue me—the first single that Hobert released and the song that launched her into stardom with over 31 million Spotify streams to date. In the song, Hobert repeats the line “Sue me, I want to be wanted,” several times throughout the chorus. She sings about yearning to be desired, so much so that she’s willing to take back her ex.
Just me or does he look amazing
When he’s all in his Amazon Basics?
Let’s rip ’em off, top to bot, let’s rock
Hobert manages to incorporate humor into her songs without sounding cliché—her hyperspecific descriptions of desire are incredibly original, yet so relatable. With her first single, she already established her distinct sound and lyricism. The single left listeners immediately wanting more, and not knowing what to expect from Hobert.
The music video for Sue me, released May 8, 2025, was directed, edited, and starred Hobert herself. In it, Hobert dances in a warmly lit bedroom and throughout a school, with a clown occasionally making a cameo in certain scenes. She rolls down a red carpet in the middle of the hallway and struts down it as she sings. She dances like no one is watching with everything but grateful physicality. It’s something we’ve all done in our bedrooms while pretending to be pop stars. Her music videos tell us everything we need to know about Hobert—she isn’t afraid of looking silly, she’s completely and authentically herself.
Hobert is no stranger to embracing the cringe. On the sixth track titled Thirst trap, she gets incredibly genuine about being so obsessed with your crush—you cringe yourself out sometimes.
“It’s that thing- when you like someone so much and can’t help yourself, and they can tell you like them SO MUCH and they get turned off. It’s why we play it cool in this life. But you can’t really play it cool to yourself privately. You just have your thoughts,” writes Hobert on her website.
In the song, Hobert sings about taking thirst traps, or pictures of herself, in her room in hopes that her crush will see it and be just as obsessed with her. It feels embarrassing, but we’ve all done it: posting to our Instagram stories for a guy who never even views them. Hobert is so consumed by thoughts of her crush, she can’t enjoy any of her hobbies or do pretty much anything without thinking about him. She even looks at her own posts and playlists and pretends to be her crush to imagine how he would perceive her.
I’m takin’ thirst traps in the mirror in my room
I think I look bad so I take a hundred
I used to kick back, watchin’ movies and the news
But now I’m lame, it’s such a shame, I used to be so super cool
Hobert is self-aware about how being obsessed with someone who most likely doesn’t feel the same is incredibly lame. But she doesn’t shy away from her feelings even if they are a bit embarrassing to admit.
Often described as the soundtrack to an early 2000s rom-com, Disney Channel-esque movie, Hobert’s songs have resonated with millions of people and made them feel seen. By owning what feels silly, messy and unrequited, Hobert has struck a chord with a generation that craves authenticity. That kind of honesty can’t be faked, and it’s what makes her such an exciting artist with only 12 songs. Hobert isn’t going anywhere, and her ascent as an artist has only just begun.