Reneé Rapp Reveals Which Artist Is 'The Reason I Know How To Sing'

Reneé Rapp has had an incredible run over the last year and 2024 looks to be even bigger for the rising star. She released her debut album Snow Angel in August, starred as Regina George in the highly-anticipated film adaptation of Mean Girls the musical in November, made her Saturday Night Live debut in January, recently completed a sold-out tour around the U.S. and has even gone viral for her hilarious interviews.

Rapp recently sat down with The Hollywood Reporter for a wide-ranging interview covering everything from her anxiety to her friendship with Megan Thee Stallion. She also expressed her love for R&B artists like SZA and Frank Ocean and even credited Beyoncé as one of her biggest influences for helping her find her voice and learning how to sing.

Her love for the "Texas Hold 'Em" singer came full circle recently when Beyoncé sent flowers to Rapp after she covered her song "Daddy Lessons" at a concert. Rapp was literally stunned into silence by the gesture, adding that she "had the greatest morning of my life" when she saw the stunning floral arrangement.

"I've never been speechless in my life. It's literally going to make me cry," she said. "She is everything — and the reason that I know how to sing. I would sit down and listen to her different tonalities and phonics and phrasing styles and be like, 'Please, Jesus, let me be able to do this.'"

Rapp also opened up about her decision to take a step back from her role in The Sex Lives of College Girls after two seasons, still appearing in season three but no longer a season regular. She shared how her portrayal of Leighton Murray impacted her real life, specifically when the character came out as a lesbian while Rapp was coming to terms with her own sexuality.

"Recently, on TikTok, [I watched] this scene in season one, where I come out to another character as a lesbian, and I'm crying, sobbing. And I hadn't seen that scene in years," she said. "It is so interesting that at the time I wasn't even aware that what I was experiencing in my own personal life was actually exactly what I was doing onscreen. I was in a relationship with a man, incredibly confused, unsure of myself, feeling so insecure in my acting. And I watched the scene the other day, and I was like, 'Wow, I feel so lucky to have that.'"