For Reneé Rapp, any other career than becoming a musician was not an option. "That's the way it is or it's over," she tells Bustle over the phone. "There's no point beyond that."
To get there, though, the 23-year-old singer's pop career had to take some (very successful) detours. First, she made her Broadway debut in 2019 as Regina George in Mean Girls , a role she will reprise in the upcoming film adaptation of the musical. She then rose to fame playing preppy lesbian Leighton in Mindy Kaling's raunchy comedy "College Girls." (Rapp announced she would be leaving the show in July, but declined to answer non-musical questions through a representative, citing the SAG-AFTRA strike.)
Now, after whetting appetites with last year's Everything to Every EP, she's finally set to release her debut album, Snow Angel , on August 18 via Interscope Records. With candid lyrics about queer relationships and the obstacles of growing up, the record showcases Rapp's "honesty is the best policy" approach to songwriting on epic ballads and angsty alt-rock tracks. Although she's quick to mention her love for Billie Eilish and Frank Ocean, Rapp says her biggest inspiration is "probably like 17-year-old me who really wanted to do this but didn't understand how it was going to happen." happened," she said. "But (she) was very determined to make sure it happened, and there was a very carefully thought out sonic palette behind it. "
Below, Rapp reflects on the rap songs she grew up listening to, truly falling in love with Kacey Musgraves, and her dual karaoke strategy.
On fans trying to decode her lyrics:
When you released "Snow Angel," you said in a statement that it was about a traumatic experience, and a lot of listeners tried to guess what inspired it . Do you want to clarify something?
Bringing up this context without actually having it is as a placeholder for when I'm ready to talk about it, as it could happen in February 2022. So I thought right now I didn’t want to talk about it, but pretty soon, I totally did. It was such a bad experience being with a bunch of people I thought were my friends but really weren't.
The songs sound different, but "Snow Angel" also builds to this big, dramatic climax like another recent pop-rock song, "Happier Than Ever."
Honestly, I mean, my whole life I've been inspired by Billie Eilish. But I never thought about it until recently when someone told me that, and I was like, "Well, that's the biggest compliment ever, because I think the world of her." They definitely have similarities.
You have a song on your album called “Willow.” When Taylor Swift released a song of the same name, people joked that it was inspired by the iconic lesbian witch from " Buffy the Vampire Slayer . " is yours?
I've actually never heard of Willow from Buffy , but now I guess I need to. I've never seen anything like this. I think I'm completely out of the loop.
You also have a song called “I Hate Boston.” Why?
I hated the domestic chaos I experienced in Boston. It's about another city, but I'm using Boston as an alias because it sings better.
Do you have a lyric that people often misunderstand?
To be honest, I don't think so. People would say, "Oh, what does that mean?" I just sat back and giggled. Take what you want and if you need to turn it into your villain origin story, you can move on.
On being a barb and craving to make R&B music:
Is there a song that you grew up listening to that you still know all the words to?
It could be a Nicki Minaj song, like "Super Bass" — or some old Lil Wayne song.
Is there a song you will never hear again and why?
"L$D" by A$AP Rocky. I love this song, but I relate it to an experience I had with my friends when I was younger: We ate this food that we thought was adulterated. I had never done drugs before. This is crazy. I thought I was going to die. I was so young and I cried. I associated that song with that. A loss indeed.
What was the first CD you bought?
I don't think I've ever bought a CD. Like, ever. I don't quite understand what the CD is all about. I guess it kind of misses me.
What's your favorite type of music?
I admire R&B singers. The whole music is pretty much based on black women and black people. But for me, specifically, my entire love and inspiration for music and the reason why I stand up, breathe, want to do what I do and be good at it, all depends on amazing black female singers . So I like R&B music. I think it shapes pretty much everything about this industry. I wish I could be iconic and just make R&B songs, but alas, I write pop music.
Who is your musical idol?
Frank Ocean is my forever music idol. I never really understood fan culture until I met him at Coachella. I was like, "Oh, I get it." I breathed and died for this man. So he has been my biggest inspiration ever since I started listening to his music. But I’ve been loving Kacey Musgraves lately. My favorite Kathy song right now is "Camera Roll." She is very talented. My legacy is inspired by Karen Carpenter. She is iconic. May she rest the fuck.
What are your favorite karaoke songs?
My favorite karaoke song is "In Love with Another Man" by Jazmine Sullivan, and if I don't want to sing , it's "One Less Lonely Girl" by Justin Bieber.
On songs that resonate in unexpected ways:
What is the one song you want played at your wedding?
Well, things have changed over the years. When I was a kid, I wanted it to be T-Pain's "Best Love Song," but now he-who-should-not-be-named [Chris Brown] is a part of that song, so I can't be Do that. Probably a Frank Ocean song. I went through phases of, "I'm definitely going to get married," and then "I'm definitely not going to marry anyone."
What song would you like played at your funeral?
“Bootylicious” by Destiny’s Child. That's my theme song - or Tupac's "California Love." These are the songs my mom raised me on.
Is there a song that you never want to play live again?
"It's great," but I have to play it live every second of my life. I hate that song. I've always hated that song. For a long time I kept thinking, "This song will never come out," and then everyone convinced me that it should come out - and they were absolutely right.
Which track on the new record are you most proud of?
I'm really proud of Poison. I've wanted to write a song like this for a long time and I think it's a great poem because it's so honest. It's just sitting back and being like, "Okay, asshole. If you want to do this, God will respond."
What’s the weirdest thing about a song you’ve ever written?
I dreamed that I killed my girlfriend, which is why I wrote Too Much. I was like, "Hey, by the way, I just wanted to let you know - like, I know we just started dating, but I did have a dream where I murdered you in cold blood. I feel like I should tell you This, because honesty is the best policy." This has to be the most obscure thing ever.
That song really talks about my experience with OCD and intrusive thoughts.
It was so much fun talking about that song. A lot of my close friends who have OCD [related to this] are like, "Yo, man!" I have someone in my family who is close to me who has OCD. I've personally never been diagnosed, so I'm not going to claim I have OCD or anything, but it's been an interesting, eye-opening few months with a lot of people saying, "I think I have OCD OCD” [on hearing the lyrics].
