Most likely, Reneé Rapp’s signature smudges against a mirror in an undercover club. We’re assuming that because in her music video for ‘Pretty Girls,’ one shot reveals markings are already there, scrawled on in black marker. It’s not the only hint of Grafatti, either. As the camera zooms out, making the entire bathroom yellow from a dome light, there’s more against the tilled wall.
Yet it’s not the only thing that captures our attention in that opening shot. Rather, it’s what she’s wearing. “I like a straight jacket,” she later muses (verse two for those who are lyric-driven, around the 1:23 mark for others following along with us). “But it feels like it’s a little tight.” As much as it’s a snide remark about the closeted girl going back to her boyfriend after a night with Reneé, it also speaks to her ability to be attracted to her.
Runway’s Opener: Cara Delevigne
Then, if we hit that white pause button and scrolled down until we found the info box, we’d see the director’s name. It’s both surprising and unexpected, Cara Delevigne. We’re leaning toward the latter because she’s known for many things: acting, a smiley tattoo on her toe by Margot Robbie that kinda lends itself to the first one, singing, and, notably, being a model. Maybe it’s also not a stretch, as it isn’t the only music video Cara’s shot. There’s one for Rainsford’s ‘Crying in the Mirror.’ But, like, it had our minds blown, and we wanted to know every detail that happened during the shooting!
So in an ode to the Cara of it all, we’re sticking with the supermodel trend by allocating songs off Reneé’s album Snow Angel (‘Pretty Girls’ is track eight) with females who are prone to be in Paris, New York, London, or Milan. Those are the big Fashion Week places, anyway!
Gigi Hadid
Gigi may not be 23 years old anymore (you’ll have to stock up on five more additional candles). However, the number has infinitely tied itself to her birthday, as she was born on April 23. Therefore, it should be her when designating which modeling favorite would be the personification of a getting old musing.
Reneé Rapp was most likely by a piano as she etched out this number on the eve of her 23rd birthday. It starts with these tranquil, ivory notes playing simultaneously to a record scratching (to put it plainly, it’s giving ASMR). Our favorite lyric is in the pre-chorus: “And nobody thinks they should save her / ‘Cause she’s doin’ well.” But we should probably also stay on theme, so that’s found somewhere in the second verse… “Thе bags on my eyes,” Reneé’ jokes. “No, they’rе not designer, but they’re overpriced.”
Naomi Campbell
By the time you’ve finished reading this article, you’ll have either memorized two models’ birthdays on top of the Snow Angel lyrics. Or if you’re anything like us, have them jotted down in your Google calendar, ready to tag their social media in an emoji display. That’s the birthday cake, party popper celebrator, and solitary red balloon, if you need any ideas! However, you probably also need the other model’s birthdate. Naomi Campbell’s, to be precise. That’s May 22, 1970. We’ll also give you her star sign: Gemini. And, yup! Now you understand where we’re going with this. We’ll meet you at track four: ‘Gemini Moon.’
The melody of this is a lot like a lyric snuck into the first verse (“I exist on a pendulum / Swingin’ high or swingin’ low”) in that it’s a calm, steady teetering of percussion, like the chord is waiting for the other to return before it has its moment. Similarly, the moon only shines once the sun fades. It’s more literal here, too. For Apple Music, Reneé Rapp points out that when she had taken a break with her ex, she had seen a Gemini moon. Then, after finding someone new two years later, there was another. It’s this thing about living in between two states of being. Such is the opening line, “Never know who you’re gonna get / We’re in love or we never met.”
Candice Swanepoel
Aside from the fact that she has Serena Van Der Woodsen-ESQ blonde curls, one thing to know about Candice is that she’s also a mother. It wouldn’t be hard to miss them, as they make their way onto one of her Instagram boards every now and then. For example, the black-and-white video of her son Ariel and herself set to Lana Del Rey’s ‘Summertime Sadness.’ Therefore, on a more morbid note, ‘I Wish’ would sorta make sense, no?
For those tossing up the idea of what ‘I Wish’ is about, having just read the song title, first, we want you to head to Spotify! Help rack up those streams. Then travel back here. Yeah, it’s that morbid, though it’s a topic everyone’s thought about at least once. Maybe you realize your parents aren’t as invincible as you guessed after one of them gets sick, and then you’re so awakened to it that it’s hard to live in that naivety again. This song throws you into a massive communal therapy sesh. The bridge steals the moment with, “It hasn’t even happened / But I have been mourning since ten years old.”
Bella Hadid
We wouldn’t let Bella’s girly butterfly aesthetic (it’s worked itself into the emoji next to her IG name and in the pink and orange ombre tied to her avatar) fool you. Nor that she’s also an angel approved by Victoria’s Secret. But there are some people out there who deem her a heartbreaker. How could she not be? That’s why we’re dedicating ‘Tummy Hurts’ to her. She’s not taking Reneé’s place as the one singing it. She’s the muse.
The song sits above ‘I Wish’ and has a simple intro of just guitar chords. The starting lyric creates the juxtaposition: “Maybe I should try religion / ‘Cause Jesus you’re hard to rely on.” It’s just a snide remark. Don’t worry! Her ex still takes the spotlight. The one she presumably wrote about ‘In The Kitchen,’ as the following lyric references it: “I never find you in the kitchen.” She doesn’t now, and she didn’t back then. The whole song found on her debut EP, Everything To Everyone, annotates the vulnerable, romantic moments one experiences in the kitchen when she now goes through the motions by herself. The twist comes in the chorus, when she professes that her ex’s future kids will someday experience heartbreak in the same way they hurt her.
Emily Ratajkowski
Before you run off to Who’s Dated, Emily’s not married, at least not to someone else. However, a luxury brand may be on the cards. She switched the traditional whites for purple in a Versace campaign where she played a bride. We can also guess what was on the bridal playlist: ‘The Wedding Song.’
Enchanting us from the get-go, it replaces the monotone G-C-G-D-B-C combo. What’s left is an electrifying take on the violin that seems more tango-like. “There’s an old song I wrote for you,” Reneé Rapp comments, her voice more in tune with a runaway. The guitar moves in around the chorus, lifting it just like the melody would’ve in the previous version. As much as it triumphs, there are also those tragic, depleting dips that represent when the spark in a relationship is no longer there. It’s a testimony to all those scribbles on a songwriter’s floor that don’t even make it as b-tracks as their life’s story has moved on way before their project’s due date.
Off The Runway
Which Snow Angel song will Reneé Rapp sing as you strut down the catwalk? We’re thinking of Victoria’s Secret style. The type where there are a whole lot of wings, a fantasy bra, and the singer waits for you in the middle for a playful exchange—that sort of runway show! Let us know on Twitter @thehoneypop, and we’ll meet you with our best blue steel.
First was the title track ‘Snow Angel’ as the lead single, and then came ‘Talk Too Much.’ We’ve squealed, theorized, and babbled about both tracks, which you can catch the link to through our Facebook and Instagram accounts! Hit the notification button for future music from our soulful Blondie.
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