Reneé Rapp is ready to showcase a year of transformation through her highly-anticipated sophomore album.
The 24-year-old singer and actress, known for her debut album Snow Angel and role in the Mean Girls movie musical, discussed her new project in a new instalment of Instagram‘s Close Friends Only podcast.
“23 to 24 has been such a massive difference for me,” Rapp shared. “It’s about this … and to this point, a reflection on my 23rd year specifically … It was so bad, and I thought 22 was insane for me.”
Rapp’s debut album received acclaim for its emotional depth with tracks like “In the Kitchen” and “Tattoos.”
The past year has been a period of significant personal growth and challenges for Rapp, and this transition period will be a central theme in her upcoming album, promising fans a more intimate look into her life and experiences.
“I think one of the last songs I wrote, I had such a terrible day. I just had such a bad day and just like bad experiences, and I was like I have nowhere else to go with my thoughts because obviously I can’t put them outward in this moment, therefore I will be like mentally just writing,” Rapp said when discussing her creative process for the new album.
“It was really about finding an outlet,” Rapp continued. “I remember just feeling so overwhelmed and thinking I needed to do something with all this negative energy. So, I sat down in a corner, closed my eyes for about 10 minutes, and just let the thoughts flow.”
“It was like a form of mental escape, a way to process everything without having to vocalize it directly.”
Rapp believes that these intense emotions often fuel her best work.
“I think the rawness of those emotions adds a layer of authenticity to my music. It’s like, in that moment of vulnerability, I can tap into something deeper and more genuine. The song I ended up writing that day captured exactly what I was feeling – the frustration, the sadness, everything. It turned out to be one of my most honest pieces.”
She added, “Every artist has their own way of dealing with their emotions, and for me, writing has always been therapeutic. Whether I’m having a good day or a bad day, writing helps me make sense of my experiences.”
“It’s like every song is a snapshot of what I was going through at that particular time.”
You can catch Reneé Rapp on Close Friends Only below.