On June 3, Reneé Rapp released her first single “Tattoos”, marking her debut as a recording artist. Rapp had already garnered a fanbase from her work in both Mean Girls on Broadway and hit HBO Max series The Sex Lives of College Girls, but her music has inspired a new wave of support after gaining traction on TikTok.
Grounded in rolling piano and a flowing waltz tempo, “Tattoos” is an emotional ballad sure to hit the heartstrings. The single’s stripped back instrumentation serves to highlight Rapp’s dynamic vocal technique as she powers through each roaring chorus. The final few lyrics of the song are sung in haunting silence, as Rapp sings in hushed three part harmony.
To accompany “Tattoos”, Rapp released a visually enticing and emotionally impactful music video. Donning a blue button down, Rapp stands before a wall of mirrors, staring at a dozen varying reflections of herself as she faces her vulnerabilities. In the final shot, she stands by a swinging light as it circles further from her face, casting her in shadow as she stares intensely at the camera in resignation.
“Tattoos” is a testament to new love… both the joys of finding it and the fears of losing it. Vulnerable lyrics like “And that’s what scares me the most, knowing that you could just let me go” give the song a sentimental poignancy. Rapp speaks of the universality of these feelings in the music video’s description, writing, “Heartbreak sucks. Anxiety can suck. But they made this song. They connected me to y’all, so I’ll take it any day.”
Rapp is currently working towards a full length project to be released soon. She can also be seen starring as “Leighton” in The Sex Lives of College Girls on HBO Max.