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The old Rene\u00e9 Rapp can\u2019t come to the phone right now. Why? Because now, six-odd years after starting to make headlines for her starring roles in Broadway\u2019s production of \u201cMean Girls\u201d and HBO\u2019s \u201cThe Sex Lives of College Girls,\u201d Rapp has entirely cast her gaze away from the acting world in favor of a career in the music industry. At her recent concert in Sterling Heights, one thing was made clear amid the intricate stage production and her powerhouse vocals: Rapp has completed her full transformation into a bona fide pop star, and she\u2019s not planning to go anywhere.<\/p>\n
After a perilous journey to the Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre (the highways in Metro Detroit are no joke), I arrived just in time for a tasteful set from opener Syd, who took the stage promptly and performed a combination of original songs and covers, including a rendition of \u201cIntimidated\u201d by Kaytranada. The chill electronica of the song encapsulated Syd\u2019s musical universe well, which is often steeped in dreamy synths and understated vocals. Later in the night, Rapp went on to say that she\u2019s a huge fan of Syd personally, and her influence can be easily felt in Rapp\u2019s introspective lyrics and R&B sound.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, the screens on either side of the stage came to life and began playing a short video displaying numerous versions of Rapp deep in argument: There was a brunette Rene\u00e9 dressed in a suit; a jock Rene\u00e9 with a backwards baseball cap; a Rene\u00e9 whose outfit recalls one of the most iconic scenes of \u201cMean Girls.\u201d<\/a> <\/em>Finally, Rene\u00e9 as we know her appeared, wearing a simple blue T-shirt and screaming for everyone to \u201cshut the fuck up!\u201d before getting up and attacking the camera.<\/p>\n Everything went dark for a moment before we saw a shot of her being interrogated for this crime. Her response? A smug proclamation of her need to be left alone. Suddenly, the curtain dropped and the real Rene\u00e9 appeared on stage, expressing the same desire in song form by diving straight into a performance of her recent single \u201cLeave Me Alone.\u201d It felt like a rebirth. She\u2019d finally killed off all these past versions of herself and a new version of the singer \u2014 clad in black leather and accompanied by roaring guitars \u2014 has risen from the ashes.\u00a0<\/p>\n