Reneé Rapp Artistfacts

January 10, 2000
Born in Huntersville, North Carolina, Reneé Rapp was drawn to the arts from a young age. While attending Hopewell High School, she actively participated in the theater program before transferring to the Northwest School of the Arts, further honing her craft.
In 2019, at the age of 19, Rapp landed her breakout role as Regina George in the Broadway musical adaptation of the iconic film Mean Girls. She starred as Regina George, the vindictive Queen Bee of North Shore High School, taking over the role originated by Taylor Louderman.
While starring in Mean Girls on Broadway, Rapp was cast as the sophisticated and ambitious Leighton in the HBO Max comedy series The Sex Lives of College Girls.
Rapp reprised the role of Regina George in the 2024 film adaptation of Mean Girls, also contributing to its soundtrack.
Rapp's first love is songwriting and singing. In 2022, she released her debut EP, Everything to Everyone, which straddles R&B and alt-pop. "I feel so incredibly influenced by R&B," she told Alternative Press. "Pop ballads do nothing for me. R&B ballads do. But intricate pop writing does a lot for me, so it's kind of in the middle. I definitely want to lean more toward not pop production on my project. Like, I don't want anything to feel hella vanilla. That's so tired to me."
This momentum continued with her first full-length album, Snow Angel. Released in 2023, it debuted at #44 on the US Billboard 200.
Rapp was a member of her high school's varsity golf team and has been playing the sport since early childhood.
In 2022, Rapp came out as bisexual, and in 2024 identified as lesbian, advocating for LGBTQ+ representation in the media.
She has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and openly discusses the challenges and strengths it brings.
Reneé Rapp's mother, Denise Rapp, gave her an alliterative name to help her succeed in the music business. "My mom chose my first and last name to both have R's," Rapp told the Good Hang podcast with Amy Poehler. "She was like, 'Alliteration, just in case she wants to be a pop star.' Like before I was born."
Reneé Rapp has a strict personal rule when it comes to recording: never before noon. While many artists romanticize late-night studio sessions, Rapp is fiercely protective of her mornings and evenings, insisting that alone time at the beginning and end of the day is non-negotiable.
Rapp's ideal writing day? Arriving at the studio around 12:30 p.m. with a stash of coconut water, working until 7, and avoiding snacks (they distract her), except for one proper meal. Her go-to meal when making her debut album Snow Angel was the chicken salad from LA café Jones on Third.