WORDS / Bri Ng Schwartz

PHOTOS / Lauren Nakao Winn

STYLING / Phil Gomez

GLAM / Rory Alvarez

Shot at Venus In Tokyo

“I am probably the biggest drama queen ever. I don’t have a choice. I’m owning it.”

– RAEGAN

Musical theater kids, cabaret queens, and burlesque baddies unite! Alt-pop princess RAEGAN is taking the stage by storm with “musical theater pop” as her newest sonic and visual era. She marries her past dark, moody sounds with her showtune-inspired present on singles like the newly released “Crying Is A Girl’s Best Friend” and “Raegan Core.” Accompanied by punchy piano chords, fast-paced drum beats, woodwinds, and brass, RAEGAN has carved out a one-of-a-kind sound in an ever-changing pop landscape that begs to be witnessed, preferably on a stage in front of an awestruck audience. 

Raegan joined us for a shoot at Brooklyn’s own Venus In Tokyo, with the store’s pastel backdrop serving as a perfect match for her ethereal presence. We discussed the making of this theatrical moment, how the lyrical themes connect to her inner child, and her big Broadway dreams for the future.

How would you describe Raegan Core as a concept and driving voice of your new era?

Reagan Core came from band practice. I wore an outfit as I always do. Weird stuff. One of my band members said “That skirt, that’s so Raegan Core.” and it was a light bulb moment. I wrote it down in my notes app and made the song “Raegan Core” because it feels so me. It’s weird, pastel, and whimsical. Like a fairy land. Every song represents a different aspect of who I am: the part of me that’s in love, crazy, a drama queen. Pay attention to me, me, me, me, or I’m going to die! Like Tinkerbell.

You’re diving into your theater kid roots and describe your new sound as “musical theater pop.” What brought about this shift?

I started making music in high school, which started off in the alt-pop, dark-pop world because that was what I was listening to and inspired by. That was my coming of age where I was getting to know myself as a young adult and my own person. I was releasing all those songs, I started getting into college and growing and they didn’t feel like me anymore. I took a few months off of creating and just sat back and did some soul searching.

I realized I really missed musical theater. I missed the performance and whimsy. I asked myself “Should I start auditioning for Broadway and music theater, or keep making music?” Ultimately I can never get away from making music because that really is how I express and learn about myself. I was like “Why am I trying to choose these two paths? I’m just going to do all of the above all at the same time.” 

How were you first introduced to musical theater?

Through vocal lessons, we started doing musical theater songs. I was like “Wait…this is my thing!” Since I was a kid, I was acting, singing, dancing, rolling around on the floor thinking I was eating. You get around other kids, you’re trying to get attention and be creative. 

Are there any musicals, whether they be on stage or musical movies, that you feel inspired your creative world?

Burlesque was the movie that raised me. Chicago and Mamma Mia as well. They shaped my identity as a person, an artist, and this project. 

What do you think sets show tunes apart from other genres?

I think the storytelling is unmatched. When I listen to show tunes and Disney soundtracks, I close my eyes and don’t even listen to a word of what they’re saying. The music just moves my body, and I can feel every emotion through the notes and climax of the music. It feels like little movies in three minutes. That’s what draws me so much to it. I cry when I hear it. Since I was a kid, I would watch Disney movies and just be bawling. I love that feeling. I love when it can evoke an emotion without having to try to.

Yeah. Is there a Disney princess that you identify with?

Rapunzel in Tangled mixed with Tinkerbell because I will actually die if you don’t give me attention.

Tangled has got to be in my top five movie musical soundtracks. 

I agree! I love Tanged. I also love “Mother Knows Best.” That song is my villain arc. I sing that in the mirror and to my dogs. 

That song is so Raegan Core. A musical theater banger with a darker side. 

I think I need to do Tangled as a one woman show. I’ll be Flynn Rider too. I need to be everyone.

Like when Cher did West Side Story as a one woman show!

She’s just everything. 

Do you have a dream venue to perform these songs in? 

I’m going to share the most ambitious answer ever: I would love to turn this into a musical and be on Broadway, or a New York residency. That’s a dream.

You have a Pride performance scheduled at Brooklyn’s 3 Dollar Bill later this month, which is extremely fitting. 

I’m really excited, and this Summer I’ll be prepping for the headline run in the Fall too.

Do you have anything planned for those shows yet?

That will be the first real draft of manifesting the Broadway show. We have a full band, dancers, costumes, scenes, skits and as much of a set that a budget will allow.

What I loved about “Ballad of a Preschool Dropout” is that it fuses that darker pop from your older sound to what you’re doing now. Do you see yourself as a heightened version of yourself, or is it pretty on keel with the everyday Reagan?

I have this thing that I always say: There’s all caps RAEGAN, and there’s lowercase Raegan. Lowercase Raegan, she’s a bit more shy. All caps Raegan is this more heightened version. I get a lot more confidence from her, but it’s all me. One is navigating everyday life versus the one put on a pedestal. Put her on stage. That’s her place to shine. 

“Crying Is A Girl’s Best Friend” is out now! Talk me through how that song came to be. 

I have a notebook that I made when I started conceptualizing Raegan Core as a project and new brand identity. I have a bunch of notes in here, and I was playing around with the tagline. Something like “that’s showbiz.” I wrote down “ribbons are a girl’s best friend.” I completely forgot and moved on with my life. Then I went into that session, we started making a song and were like, “Let’s make a Disney Princess song!” I was listening to the Tangled soundtrack so much. At first it was going to be this sexy cabaret moment, and then we landed on the chorus “crying is a girl’s best friend.” It really does encapsulate how I feel when the show is over. When the audience goes home, what am I left with?

I always say that when I’m out of drag, when my hair is straight, and I have no makeup on, I look in the mirror and I’m like, “Oh my God. I feel so different from that person on stage.” I think that’s kind of this concept of, “But I’m not alone when I have myself, and when I’m crying.” We just personified that character to give you comfort in sadness and loneliness. 

RAEGAN gives us permission to be our biggest, most dramatic selves with her new sound. A real life Disney Princess in her truest form, she brings an authentic energy and theatrical presence to everything she does. We can’t wait to belt and sob along this Summer, and look forward to the day where she’s selling out a Broadway residency. 

“Crying Is A Girl’s Best Friend” is available to stream now, and Brooklyn drama queens can catch her at 3 Dollar Bill’s Daddies and Baddies on June 21st.

Connect with RAEGAN

Instagram // Spotify // Apple Music // Website