In 2019, Reneé Rapp’s career took off when she got the role of Regina George on the Broadway musical “Mean Girls.” She is now Regina George in the upcoming movie adaptation of the musical, which seems like an homage to her Broadway era. Her global recognition came from her role as Leighton in the series “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” which aired on HBO Max.
In recent years, Reneé Rapp has focused more on music, as stated by her YouTube channel. With her debut single in 2022, “Tattoos”, she set her tone as revealing the vulnerable parts of life. This ranges from songs about unrequited love to hiding the bad parts of her life from her mom. Reneé Rapp creates songs that most people can relate to. I relate to a lot more than just one; however, I want to talk about one I resonate with the most: “I Wish.”
In this song, Reneé Rapp sings about how she saw her dad crying after his father passed. She heard his words, “How could the person who taught me to breathe, take their last breath not in front of me?” This line hit me like a freight train. I’ve always had this lingering anxiety about the day I won’t be able to say goodbye to my parents. Just like how she sings in the song, I wish I could go back to the time when I saw the world in bright colors, rather than black, white, and blue. Reneé Rapp explained it perfectly in this song, “The older we get the colors they change. Hair turns to gray, but blue’s here to stay.”
Being at a young age when I first learned about death has really changed the way I perceive life. Having to learn that I was never going to see my mom’s mother had me really confused at the time; that’s when I started questioning how long I had with my own. That’s why I love “I Wish” so much. This song portrays how it feels to learn one of the truths about life: death.
Mourning for those who have not passed yet has been exhausting, but Reneé Rapp was able to relieve some of that pressure by telling those who deal with it too that they are not alone. “I Wish” is a heartbreaking song that was beautifully written, I rate this song 5 cardinal heads out of 5.
