‘My manifesto’: RAEGAN on new EP, queerness, and pushing the limits

Rising theatre-pop visionary and future queer icon, RAEGAN, is carving out her own niche with high-drama world-building that has become central to her artistic vision.

Having released her new single ‘CRYING IS A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND’, and with her new EP, RAEGAN CORE out now, the 23-year-old from New York crafts a love letter to outsiders, the misfits, and anyone who’s ever been told to tone it down, only to turn it up louder, through a project fusing musical theatre with pop production and unfiltered vulnerability. 

Marking the continuation of her boldest chapter yet, RAEGAN reflects on how New York has helped shape her creative identity, where she takes style inspiration from, and reclaiming crying as a power rather than a weakness.

Q: How has a city like New York shaped your artistry and creativity?

RAEGAN: New York has helped influence my art so much. The energy here is infectious and so inspiring. It has pushed me to stand out and be loud and bold. It has allowed me to be experimental with my fashion and push limits.

You’ve performed at various Pride events in the US. What does allyship mean to you in the current US climate?

Being queer is who I am and my goal through my music and my fan community is to create a safe space for all the queer, theatre kids, drama queens, cry babies and camp to coexist and be unapologetically themselves. In this climate, more than ever we need to support each other and inspire one another.

Your art and visual identity feel very epic, camp and timeless. Do you pull any inspiration from the New York drag and queer scene, and if so, in what ways? 

Of course, my style is influenced by all parts of me and where I live. It is a mix of broadway, pop, and complete camp. I love how the overall queer scene in NYC is so free to express and it’s so inspirational to me. I want to always feel inspired and motivated to be whoever I want to be.

How would you describe your distinctive personal style and how has this evolved over time?

I would describe my style as RAEGAN CORE. It’s authentically me, I try to dress how I feel each day and how I want to be perceived. I am attracted to pastels, I love to be colourful and make a statement. I’d say it’s like if whimsy, camp, theatre and diva had a baby!

Your latest single ‘CRYING IS A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND’, has been described as a dazzling pop-burlesque spectacle. What made you want to build a whole concept and world around your music and how does musical theatre influence this?

 

I feel like my music overall lives in a world and each song I create is an extension of this world. I don’t think something specific made me want to create this world, it just happened. I think very conceptually when it comes to my art and all of the aesthetics, sonic elements, fashion, etc all coexist. I grew up in musical theatre so this project is my inner child coming out to play. It’s the process of not waiting for the perfect life to come to me, it’s going out and making my dreams come true myself.

At the heart of the single is a powerful message transforming heartbreak into empowerment. What was the inspiration behind this? Do you write based on your personal experiences or do your lyrics come from a place of fiction? 

I write from my personal experiences. I think of my music as complete self expression and almost like therapy. The inspiration behind ‘CRYING IS A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND’, was the feeling of loneliness when the show is over, the curtain closes and you’re left with yourself. But I wanted to heal and take the power back in reminding myself that as long as I have me, I’m never alone.

You describe ‘CRYING IS A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND’ as your “Disney princess moment.” Which Disney princess do you identify with the most and why? 

I would say Rapanzel mixed with Tinker Bell.

The song reframes crying as a power rather than a vulnerability. Do you think pop culture is finally starting to catch up with this idea, and if so, how?

I think so, yes, we are now starting to cherish the concept of being empathetic, which is so powerful. I cry all the time at literally everything and I often feel like that is one of my biggest strengths. I rather feel deeply than feel nothing.

The single has been taken from your new EP, RAEGAN CORE, which is out now. What are the core themes that run through the project, and how does CRYING IS A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND tie into these?

This EP is my manifesto. It brings power and confidence to being quirky, loud, emotional, and dramatic. ‘CRYING IS A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND’ is the act of the overall RAEGAN CORE show that the protagonist finds herself backstage coming down from the high of performing and being surrounded by an audience. It is her looking in the mirror, taking off her makeup and looking at herself for who she truly is underneath it all.

What does the RAEGAN CORE starter pack consist of? 

Blush, lipgloss, ibuprofen, pumps, and lashes.

If you were curating your own festival, who would be your top three headliners?

Lady Gaga, MARINA, and Ariana Grande

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RAEGAN CORE is out now – listen here.