Reneé Rapp and Cynthia Erivo Tease Forthcoming New Music

Amid their film success, Broadway alums Renee Rapp and Cynthia Erivo both have new music on the way. As part of Rolling Stones' Musicians on Musicians series, the two superstars sat down to talk about their forthcoming music, along with other facets of their careers on the stage and screen.

Rapp recalled seeing Erivo on Broadway in The Color Purple when she was 16. It was only the second Broadway show she had ever seen. "You started performing, and I was like, 'OK, she’s just different. On another planet, on another level,'" she remembered.

Though her heart was leading her to music, Rapp took the performing arts route, with a nudge from her parents. "I...basically followed, or at least attempted to follow, what [Hadestown star] Eva Noblezada [had done]," she shared. Both Rapp and Noblezada found success when competing in the high school Jimmy Awards before starting their respective careers. However, despite being cast in the Broadway production of Mean Girls, Rapp was eager to leave the "hierarchical" business of show, at least for a time. " I just knew what I wanted...I’m doing this to do more, not doing this to stay here."

Rapp told Erivo that she is working on new music, something that she is excited about. "It’s everything that I want it to be. I’ve had my album name for months," she admitted. 

Erivo is also producing a new album, which was recorded while filming Wicked. She said keeping the routine of doing the two projects simultaneously was an "insane" feat. "I’m in London talking to my producer, who’s in L.A. Then we’d come together in L.A., record everything, do a big old week or two-week session. Then I’d go back and finish filming.," explained Erivo. But, like Rapp, she looks forward to sharing her new music: "Out of those sessions has come some really beautiful music...It’s exactly what I dreamed of." This will be her first new album since her debut recording Ch. 1 Vs. 1 in 2021. Though both albums are in the works, official release dates have yet to be in the works.

Erivo made her Broadway debut reprising her starring role as 'Celie' in the critically acclaimed revival of "The Color Purple." She first played the role in 2013 at London's Menier Chocolate Factory and her performance on Broadway earned her several awards, including the Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical. Erivo is also a two-time Academy Award nominee for her leading performance and original song for the film Harriet. She will next be seen as Elphaba in the highly-anticipated Wicked movie.

Earlier this year, Rapp appeared in the musical film adaptation of Mean Girls, reprising the role of Regina George from the Broadway production. Her first studio album, Snow Angel, was released in 2023, and featured songs like "Pretty Girls," "Tummy Hurts," and "Talk to Much." 

Photo Credit: Bruce Glikas