I know, I know. I am totally late to the party, chasing after a train that has already passed or sitting on shore watching that boat sail blissfully away. Except I have a life jacket on and I am paddling furiously, screaming about how much I love this 24-year old lesbian from North Carolina. Although I had first heard of her through her lead role as Regina George in Mean Girls on Broadway, and then again as Leighton in HBO’s The Sex Lives of College Girls. However, I did not particularly know much about her at this time because I hadn’t seen either.
I’d been told for almost a year by one of my best friends – with impeccable music taste – that she loved Renee and that she knew I would love her, too. And I did that thing I often do: put something off even though I know I would enjoy it. And now I am kicking myself because I have denied myself this amazing artist for a whole year. So, what made me start listening to her? With the TikTok edits, countless press tours, hilarious soundbites and the release of the new screen-adaptation of the Mean Girls Broadway Musical, it’s undeniable that Renee Rapp is everywhere right now. And hey, I am definitely not complaining.
It seems that everything I have done in the past two weeks have been to the soundtrack of her album Snow Angel, with a heavy rotation of her EP Everything to Everyone in there too. Renee seems to have a magnetism that very few modern artists can uphold, and a unique but signature sound. She can cross different sub-genres and emotions effortlessly while still sounding so quintessentially like herself. So, I have done what I feel is my duty as a Renee Rapp stan, and compiled a playlist for you for different moods.
Essential Tracks: The Hits
- Tummy Hurts
- Too Well
- In The Kitchen
- Not My Fault (feat. Megan Thee Stallion)
When You Want to Wallow
- Bruises
- Tattoos
- I Hate Boston
- The Wedding Song
When You Want to Sob
- I Wish
- I Do
- In The Kitchen
- Don’t Tell My Mom
- Snow Angel
When You Want To Dance
- Colorado
- Too Well
- Talk Too Much
- Pretty Girls
- Messy
When You’re Feeling Introspective
- Moon
- Everything to Everyone
- Talk Too Much
- Gemini Moon
- Too Well
- 23
When You Just Want to Vibe
- Tummy Hurts (feat. Coco Jones)
- Willow
- Poison Poison
- So What Now
You are so welcome. There is just something so charming about Rapp. What did I learn from this experience? Listen to Mara when she tells you there’s a singer she thinks you should check out.
Rapp’s music seems to have me covered no matter what I am feeling which is incredible. She is full of soul,and history but still can pull off something as pop-y and camp as the Mean Girls soundtrack. It is very rare that a Broadway performer is able to successfully transition into the mainstream music arena but Renee has done it like it’s the easiest thing in the world. I strongly believe “better late than never” and this seems to be proof. I cannot wait for her to put out something new because I know I will adore it.
And what can I say? It’s not my fault we’re like, in love with her!