Reneé Rapp's Rise to Fame

When I was 19, my mom sent me an article about a new show on HBO titled, The Sex Lives of College Girls. As a college student, the title piqued my interest, but I didn’t watch it immediately. My mom sent me the link and a message: “This is the girl whose mom I work with. The blonde. She is Reneé Rapp. The one who was on Broadway for Mean Girls.” At the time, I didn’t think much of it, though it was somehow exciting that someone my mom knew was on TV. Back then, Denise, Reneé’s mom who worked with my mom, had given her some face masks from a PR package meant for Reneé. Those packages are a common way to target up and coming influencers as a means to get them to promote their products. This can sometimes be a nightmare for them as they receive an influx of them constantly. Denise passed some to my mom, who then gave them to me. They were high-quality face mask, and I love a good skincare freebie. Now that I’m a fan, I look back and value that she chose to share with others rather than let them go to waste.

A year later in 2022, Reneé was all over my TikTok feed, prompting me to ask my mom about her again. This is when I began to follow her career and be a witness of growing success. Reneé has an aura that is distinct from any other celebrity today. She is outspoken about her beliefs ranging from topics on feminism to sexuality and advocates for diversity. She is an emerging role model for Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha, two generations that are growing up alongside her. To fully understand and appreciate her journey, we need to look at where it all began.

To understand Rapp’s rise to fame we must begin with her passion for theatre. Rapp first attended Hopewell High School in Huntersville, NC, a suburb of Charlotte, being just 20 minutes away from the big city. In a town such as Huntersville, she began to feel estranged with herself and who she was. The South can be hard for many people to grow up in especially those who do not feel welcomed based on their sexuality or race. Reneé felt the most welcome in the theatre program at Hopewell where she honed her singing her acting. Rapp soon began to gain recognition for her powerful voice through many accolades. In 2018, she won the Best Actress award at the Blumey Awards for her portrayal of Sandra in her school’s production of Big Fish. In the same year she won a Jimmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress. Her many accolades show her dedication to theater and led to her being casted as Regina George in the Broadway musical Mean Girls in 2019. Her time on Broadway really catapulted her into the journey she would begin to set on.

In 2020, Rapp landed her first on screen acting job with the HBO show created by Mindy Kaling, Sex Lives of College Girls. This was her first on screen debut and she soon became a fan favorite. Her character Leighton was a rich girl who struggled with her sexuality as a lesbian. This paralleled Rapp’s own sexuality as at the time she identified herself as bisexual. Rapp became known for her character Leighton which was very loved by many viewers. Many viewers were able to see themselves in Leighton and were happy to see the representation within the show. This gave Rapp more attention and gained even more fans from her acting. As someone who has watched the show, I felt that Reneé truly did shine in her acting. I did not even know that this was her first on screen debut until I read about it. But Reneé felt a lot of anxiety from acting and was anxious especially within the environment it created. In 2024, she decided she would no longer play a main role in the show and would move on to better things. During this time, Rapp was casted to reprise her role as Regina in the new live action Mean Girls movie. She stated that after this movie’s release that she would let go of her acting career. She even denied Tina Fey’s offer for her to go on tour with the Mean Girls Musical and was very open with no longer wishing to continue acting. A lot of her interests and passions lied within music and singing. This led to her being more interested in her music career which she decided to expand.

Reneé’s love of music was always there. She felt herself slowly becoming known for acting. Although acting was fun, her heart yearned for her to be a singer. She wanted to continue her music career and put all of her focus into it. Her dream was always to become a renowned singer and she did not want to lose sight of that dream. Her album Snow Angel gives a glimpse into Rapp’s self-discovery, vulnerability, and emotional turmoil. Her tracks dive into feelings of insecurity, love, and heartbreak. She was nervous about releasing a new album due to other people’s thoughts and opinions on her music. Before she had released an EP Everything to Everyone in 2022 which she believes feels completely different from her new album. She was worried about how others would view her new style that she was trying to achieve. Snow Angel debuted at number 44 on the US Billboard 200 which made it the biggest first week debut by a female artist in 2023. Rapp went on tour for the album and the tour was called “Snow Hard Feelings”, she toured cities such as Boston, New York, Chicago and even Charlotte, NC! The tour is still going as she continues into Europe such as the UK. She is set to perform at LOLLAPALOOZ in Chicago, August 1st to the 4th.

If anyone were to watch a video of Rapp singing, they would feel chills. It’s crazy to see how effortless someone can sing when her voice is so powerful. Her experience on Broadway really helped shape her into an incredible singer and performer. Her voice always gives me chills and her range is incredible. Her voice when she’s not singing is just as powerful as it is when she does sing. Renee refuses to be silenced by anyway and is an advocate for resilience and perseverance. She continues to use her voice in many ways, and it is through her voice that people will listen.

Rapp’s transition from Broadway to acting to her music career shows her deep versatility as a performer. Her skill set is not the only reason people are becoming so in love with her. Rapp is quite known for her true openness which truly makes her someone to watch. As a woman, it can be hard to express yourself without someone calling you spoiled, bratty or other harsher words I won’t mention here. But Rapp shows women and everyone that it is okay to be open with your insecurities, it is okay to voice your opinions no matter the repercussions and it truly shows within her popularity. She has so many moments from interviews that have gained her more and more attention just for being her true and authentic self. In an interview with The Associated Press, Renee explains how she hates authority and doesn’t like people who disrespect others. She continues to discuss the norms of femininity and how she feels in regard to this norm. She always felt that she was not like everyone else and unlike other cis women. She never wanted to feel disrespected again by anyone which is why she is so open. All of this adds on to why she becomes so viral and loved. She does not care what anyone thinks and as a woman, she is very open with herself.

Every interview you come across of Reneé she at least cusses a few times. Sometimes it can be hard to quote her because of her curse words but I think that is something I love about her. There’s just something about seeing a woman not truly care how society views her that really inspires me and inspires many other people. Women feel the need to be a certain way, to be proper, to cross our legs when we sit etc. But it’s time to break these stereotypes and show that it is okay to be different and it is okay to not be like everyone else. Rapp is a true symbol of how this generation and the next can begin to break down these stereotypes no matter how long it would take.

Rapp has always been open about her sexuality and identifying as a lesbian. Rapp is what any Gen-Z person would call a gay icon. She has always been an advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community and continues to voice her opinions. Her openness with her own sexuality is refreshing for a lot of people as she truly doesn’t care about what others say or think about her. Over the course of her interviews, her sexuality label began to change. Previously she identified herself as bisexual but over the course of her interviews for Mean Girls, she discussed her sexuality changing bit by bit. One thing that pointed out this was Rapp saying in an interview how she read the “Lesbian MasterDoc”, a 30-page document that claims to help people figure out if they are a lesbian. In her appearance on Saturday Night Live, Jacob Elordi referred to Renee in the skit as “little lesbian intern” pointing out that this is in fact the label she now associates herself with. Rapp is truly a role model for those who may be afraid to switch labels or even have one! Labels are something that society places on us and is something everyone feels like they have to choose. That you have to be one way or another, but Rapp truly shuts down this stigma with her empowering words through song and through her interviews.

Another thing that Renee has been very open about is her eating disorder. During the time she was in Mean Girls on Broadway, she felt that her eating disorder was getting worse. In her interview with Teen Vogue she explains, “I think my relationship with my body and eating disorders at large is very complicated.” Her body was something that she felt many people were obsessing over. She felt that she had no control over it and that it wasn’t something she could avoid. Her openness with her sexuality and her eating disorder are things that she is happy to be open about. She feels that being able to discuss these problems will help younger people or people in general not feel alone. This is yet another aspect of her that continues to give her attention. Her “I don’t care” attitude is truly refreshing and very inspiring for younger generations. She not only continues to discuss her own troubles but does not let them define who she is entirely. She is an icon for those struggling with their own problems and her music especially highlights that.

At age 24, Reneé is an absolute powerhouse. Her immense journey through acting on screen and singing on Broadway were catalysts to the current position she is in now. A position that will soon recognize her as a household name. Rapp’s voice is unlike any other singer I have heard in this generation, the power in her voice touches many. Her background in theatre and Broadway gives her an advantage as a true performer, a quality that most artists in the industry do not possess. She recently performed at Coachella, a very well-known festival. I personally can see Rapp continuing to become more and more popular especially with Gen-Z. Since she is a part of Gen-Z, she understands what the community wants and finds funny or entertaining. I think she will continue to grow as an artist and one day win a Grammy.

If I ever had the chance to meet her, I would tell her that I am proud of her as someone who has seen her from the beginning. It is very rewarding to see an artist grow and grow into something that she now embodies. Her fame will continue to grow, and I will continue to follow her journey. She will go down in history for her powerful voice of advocacy and for her beautiful notes she continues to always hit with low effort. She is an inspiration to many and especially to me.