Reneé Rapp live in London review: chart-topping Mean Girls star really can do it all
"By the time she left the stage flexing her muscles, there was no questioning Reneé’s place in the pop big leagues"
By Ben Jolley
From the moment the curtain dropped on the second of two nights at Wembley Arena, Reneé Rapp had the 12,000-strong London crowd in the palm of her hands.
Channeling the best pop (and pop-punk) girls from over the last two decades – spanning Britney Spears, Olivia Rodrigo, Avril Lavigne and Billie Eilish – the queer icon wore her influences on her (oversized shirt) sleeves.
While an introductory Charli XCX The Moment-esque publicist meeting made clear the overwhelming demands on modern artists, celebrity-satirising, mugshot-posed videos later nodded to tabloid intensity.
Reneé Rapp’s tracklist highlights
Onto the music and, whether jumping around during the bratty ‘Leave Me Alone’, raging ‘You’d Like That Wouldn’t You’ or stripping things back for piano-led belter ‘Why Is She Still Here?’ and show-stopping ballad ‘Sometimes’, the North Carolina native was vocally flawless throughout.
It was also strikingly clear how much Rapp prioritises connection over flashy production: armed with a handheld video camera, she leaned over the front row and stopped to embrace fans, pausing on a dad waring a ‘dragged here by my daughter’ t-shirt. Such closeness is a rarity in 2026 with so many artists out of reach amid a competitive trend of colossal staging.
“There was no questioning Reneé’s place in the pop big leagues” – Ben Jolley
Despite this being an arena tour, Rapp’s show – which follows her appearance at the Camden Roundhouse in 2024 and the 02 Forum Kentish Town the year prior – felt strikingly intimate and personal.
By the time she left the stage flexing her muscles, there was no questioning Rapp’s place in the pop big leagues.