{"id":418146,"date":"2025-12-01T22:43:21","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T22:43:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/418146\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T22:43:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T22:43:21","slug":"audrey-hobert-brings-whos-the-clown-to-the-el-rey-theatre","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/418146\/","title":{"rendered":"Audrey Hobert brings ‘Who’s the Clown?’ to the El Rey Theatre"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Audrey Hobert isn\u2019t clowning herself anymore. She was meant to be a pop star.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had been sitting on all of this music long enough that there was like a tiny man in my soul beating down the door of my soul,\u201d Hobert, 26, said on a recent rainy morning at Swingers Diner in Hollywood.<\/p>\n

This week, the L.A. native sets out on her Staircase to Stardom tour across North America, Europe and Australia. Intimate venues will see her perform from her debut album, \u201cWho\u2019s the Clown?,\u201d released via RCA Records in August. She stops at the El Rey Theatre in the heart of Miracle Mile on Thursday, before performing the next day at Inglewood\u2019s Intuit Dome for Jingle Ball.<\/p>\n

Though the \u201cBowling alley<\/a>\u201d singer has \u201cso immensely\u201d enjoyed her whirlwind year, music wasn\u2019t always in the cards. After graduating from New York University with a BFA in screenwriting in 2021, she fell into place behind the scenes, working in a Nickelodeon writers\u2019 room for the since-canceled \u201cThe Really Loud House.\u201d <\/p>\n

Everything changed when she started penning tracks with childhood friend Gracie Abrams<\/a> for the 2024 album \u201cThe Secret of Us.\u201d Hobert signed a publishing deal with Universal Music Group soon after and participated in songwriter sessions for a few months before setting her sights on something more personal. Initially writing for herself, it became clear her confessional lyrics couldn\u2019t be confined to her bedroom walls.<\/p>\n

She teamed up with producer Ricky Gourmet to pin down the perfect level of bubblegum pop and determine when a song was in need of a good saxophone solo. Despite never being cast in a lead role during her \u201ctheater kid\u201d tenure, Hobert\u2019s music exudes main character energy. The first single she put out, \u201cSue me,\u201d a high-voltage pop anthem about hooking up with an ex if only to feel wanted for a glimmer in time, reached No. 26 on Billboard\u2019s Pop Airplay Chart. The music video<\/a> accompanying the release \u2014 directed by Hobert, as all her videos are \u2014 introduced listeners to an artist not afraid to dance like nobody\u2019s watching.<\/p>\n

Even though she\u2019s performed only a handful of shows, she already has a dedicated fan base at the ready to belt her most self-aware lyrics at her high-profile live shows \u2014 whether that be an expletive-laced chorus in \u201cSue me\u201d or a line about a forgotten pizza pocket in \u201cSex and the city<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over French toast and black coffee, Hobert mused about the career she never saw coming.<\/p>\n

This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity. <\/p>\n

\"Singer <\/p>\n

Audrey Hobert fell for songwriting when she collaborated with Gracie Abrams on the latter\u2019s \u201cThe Secret of Us.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Annie Noelker \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

As someone who likes to be at home in her creams and nightgown, how have you adapted to the life of an up-and-coming pop star?<\/b>
I just still feel like a girl who likes to be in her creams and nightgown, and I also, in addition to that, really enjoy the feeling of working and sort of running on fumes. I think if you like that feeling too much, it dips into dangerous territory a little bit, but it doesn\u2019t \u2026 feel much like partying. For instance, I\u2019ve been shooting a music video for the past four days, and last night I was up until 3 in the morning with what we were referring to as the skeleton crew. It feels like I\u2019m not even almost entirely there yet, and I will innately know, \u201cOh my God, I\u2019ve arrived.\u201d But you can sort of protect yourself from it if that\u2019s what you want.<\/p>\n

How are you feeling about performing in L.A.?<\/b>
I think I\u2019m gonna be incredibly nervous because it\u2019s gonna be the majority of my friends and family there, and I\u2019ve made the decision to keep all details of what the tour is gonna be a secret from all of my friends and family, just so that they can see it. I just feel like I\u2019m going to get the best feedback from them if I\u2019m not tipping them or giving them a hint as to what it\u2019s going to be and if they\u2019re just witnessing it for the first time. And that\u2019s kind of what I\u2019m interested [in] with this first tour, because it\u2019s so short and it\u2019s almost an underplay, and I just am wanting constructive criticism and what worked, what didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Do you get more nervous performing in front of friends and family?<\/b>
Nervousness and excitement are the same. It\u2019s a very similar feeling. I think it\u2019s more excitement than nervousness. In my experience over the summer, going to places around the world and performing, I always was more excited for the shows that I knew I had people that I personally knew at. Performing in Australia and Amsterdam and Berlin, it was sort of a pressure\u2019s off feeling.<\/p>\n

How were the other shows?<\/b>
It was such a great first crack at singing my songs to a crowd of people. I never really pictured myself as \u201cgirl with guitar on stage alone,\u201d but it is how I wrote a lot of the songs. So it didn\u2019t feel like I was cosplaying, necessarily, but I am also a theater kid, and my deep instinct is to be on my feet sans instruments for certain songs, and so I have no idea how it\u2019s gonna feel. I did \u201cJimmy Fallon,\u201d and that was sort of a taste, but it\u2019s not what performing to a crowd full of people who like my music is gonna feel like. But it was really, really fun, and it did get me excited.<\/p>\n

How does it feel to hear people singing your lyrics back already?<\/b>
Pretty wild. I can think back to the writing of these songs, and remember so well how hard I worked on every single line, because I cared and because I knew that there was a best version of every line of every song. It was yesterday, someone asked me if I were nervous to perform my original writing, and I have been eager since the moment I wrote it, because I just worked hard. So when people sing my lyrics back to me, I\u2019m like, \u201cDamn right, yeah. Took me a while to figure out how to say that thing, and it was all in the hope that you\u2019d be either alone gobsmacked or in this room with me wanting to scream it back at me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Singer <\/p>\n

Audrey Hobert compares songwriting to entering \u201ca third dimension.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Annie Noelker \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n

In your song \u201cPhoebe,\u201d you open with, \u201cI went to New York \/ \u2019Cause a man in a suit told me \/ You\u2019re gonna be a star.\u201d From a listener standpoint, it felt like \u201c<\/b>Sue me<\/b>\u201d dropped and everything took off. Can you tell me more about the process of writing and pitching? <\/b>
I had just discovered that I like to write songs. It was simply that, and it was like a pastime. I had written all these songs with Gracie and signed a publishing deal as a result, and was sort of in this limbo of \u2026 I was a child who knew exactly what she wanted to do, and now I\u2019m an adult and am technically a signed songwriter, but I have not spent any of my life wanting to be a songwriter, so I can\u2019t imagine that this is the way my life is going to suddenly go, that I\u2019m going to launch myself into a career that I haven\u2019t wanted my whole life in the same way I wanted to be a television writer.<\/p>\n

But at the same time, the way that it all unfolded felt so cosmic and I knew that songwriting felt very interesting. So as it all unfolded, I just never, for a second, questioned it or let myself feel even a stitch of imposter syndrome because I knew better. I knew that to hold myself back from whatever this journey was going to be would be me doing myself a huge disservice.<\/p>\n

Gracie and I were living together at the time, and that was kind of in the thick of her intense touring. So she was gone. I was living on the Westside of L.A., which is not a very young area, and found myself sort of feeling like I was this Rapunzel type, living in this cement townhouse and very isolated. And I just started writing songs, and I found that it was like a third dimension, sort of \u201cTwilight Zone\u201d-style, that I could go to and exit my body entirely. Forget that I was maybe feeling a little bit lonely, forget that I missed my best friend, forget that I wanted a boyfriend and didn\u2019t have one, and just write.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s nothing as mystical as songwriting to me, because it\u2019s two kinds of writing \u2014 melodic writing that is completely unexplainable, and then lyrics, that is sort of the best puzzle. It\u2019s like math, which I\u2019m actually very bad at, but I can see a sentiment come together in my head before it actually does. It was just eight months basically of manic writing. And during that time is when I \u2026 told Universal Music Publishing, \u201cI think I want to try an artist project.\u201d It was sort of a way to get out of doing songwriting sessions, and then [I] met Ricky and knew that I didn\u2019t want to spend all day, every day, making something with anybody else. It was just the purest, most greatest fun of my young life.<\/p>\n

You said you woke up one day with the title of the album and the cover art, and you thought it was strange at first. Have you gained any more clarity on what that means? <\/b>
I know that the cover specifically was born out of me sort of assuming that I would put this project together by myself. I just never considered that a label might get involved. And I thought, as a new artist, I\u2019m going to have to intrigue people with the cover of this project, whatever it is. And I just felt like a white girl making pop music hasn\u2019t done horrifying imagery. I just [wanted] to scare someone and to make someone go, \u201cWhat kind of music is this?\u201d And then you find out it\u2019s just pop. That was the intention.<\/p>\n

Take me to the release of \u201c<\/b>Sue me<\/b>.\u201d What was that moment like? <\/b>
The date of the release got pushed back a few times, and every time it got pushed back, my heart broke a little bit. I just couldn\u2019t wait. I was more eager than I\u2019d ever been to do anything \u2026 and the second I put one song out, I felt just way more free.<\/p>\n

In terms of the response to it, you just never know. You could have a great song and do everything right, and it just doesn\u2019t work. It\u2019s not like \u201cSue me\u201d is a \u201cMillion Dollar Baby,\u201d Tommy Richman<\/a>-style viral hit, but it did catch fire and that felt great. Also, I had probably, by the time that \u201cSue me\u201d came out, listened to it upwards of 800 times. So I wasn\u2019t like, \u201cPeople like the song.\u201d I was like, \u201cI love this song.\u201d<\/p>\n

How was the transition to writing songs about your own life? <\/b>
It just didn\u2019t feel like it was an active switch. Writing with Gracie was the same kind of bliss as it feels to write by myself, but it\u2019s sweeter in a different way. It feels good in a different way because it\u2019s totally shared. And one of my greatest joys in life is sharing in something with her. It always has been since I\u2019ve known her, since we were kids. We never planned or thought we would collaborate in a greater way, because it felt like hanging out was a creative collaboration; I can\u2019t really describe it. When I started writing by myself, it\u2019s a bit more grueling, but then it\u2019s the same sort of drug-like rush that you get when you feel like you\u2019ve written a good line.<\/p>\n

Your sound feels very nostalgic to me, but then there are lyrics like those in \u201c<\/b>Thirst Trap<\/b>\u201d that could only be from this digital era. You\u2019ve said you didn\u2019t have any direct references for this project, but are there any artists <\/b>who<\/b> have influenced your approach to songwriting?<\/b>
I think that could become true for my next album, but I felt like I didn\u2019t know the rules of songwriting. I always would listen to pop music and \u2026 was always asking myself, \u201cWhy is this the best song ever? Oh, it\u2019s because this, this, this.\u201d But when I wrote these songs, I remember having the active thought early on of, \u201cThere are no rules.\u201d I have far too much of a slant, and it was so fresh and new that I have artists who I look up to in terms of songwriting, but it came all just from deep within me. I remember truly having the thought of, \u201cI don\u2019t know if this is classic, typical structure, I just know that this is what is keeping me interested. So I\u2019m gonna just go with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Your music videos are amazing. Is there a dream director you\u2019d like to work with or do you want to direct every Audrey Hobert music video? <\/b>
If you had asked me when I was going out to labels and pitching myself as an artist, I would have said I\u2019d never work with a director. But the more I do them, obviously, the more I love to direct, but also the more that I would feel interested in being directed. I really, really like this guy Dan Streit, and we actually are using his camera for the music video that we just finished shooting. I just think he\u2019s super cool, and he\u2019s the only guy that I\u2019ve ever been like, \u201cHuh, I wonder if he\u2019d ever direct one of my videos.\u201d<\/p>\n

Your video for \u201c<\/b>Thirst Trap<\/b>\u201d was inspired by the Japanese horror film \u201cHouse.\u201d You also reference \u201cHigh School Musical 2.\u201d What\u2019s your taste in movies like? Do you have any comfort watches? <\/b>
I\u2019m just really into seeing movies all the time. I\u2019ve been practicing keeping the social media apps off my phone and just tuning in to something. I had never seen a Robert Altman movie, and I just watched \u201cThe Player,\u201d and I really enjoyed that. And comfort watches \u2026 \u201cFrances Ha,\u201d \u201cMistress America.\u201d I just named two Greta Gerwigs, but I just love her as an actress. I mean, I love her as a director, but I really love her as an actress. And \u201cHouse\u201d was something that I just stumbled upon and then watched twice in a row. I love it. I feel like my taste is pretty eclectic.<\/p>\n

Is fashion an important part of your artistic vision? <\/b>
If you had asked me in fourth grade what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would probably say \u201cfashion designer.\u201d I always felt inspired by the clothes on the Disney Channel. I am interested, I do like it, but in order for me to feel comfortable going about the beginnings of this pop-star life, I need to be dressed in my own clothes or else I freak out. I just did a shoot for Vevo and I wore my own clothes, didn\u2019t really spend much time on my appearance. I remember seeing the photos and being like, \u201cSometimes it\u2019s worth it to just put in a little bit more of an effort, girl.\u201d But that being said, I need to feel like myself.<\/p>\n

Who was your Disney Channel fashion inspiration?<\/b>
Selena Gomez. All the way.<\/p>\n

Have you been writing more or are you taking a breather now that the album is out?<\/b>
I\u2019ve been thinking a lot about writer\u2019s block and the concept of it, and I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s real, but the conclusion I\u2019ve come to is I don\u2019t have to worry about if I\u2019m a writer or not, because I\u2019ve felt like a writer my entire life. Some people swear by writing a song every day and finishing it, even if it\u2019s bad. Some people take four years off from writing at all. How I feel this morning is when I have a song to write, I know I\u2019m gonna write it. I try not to waste my time worrying about why I\u2019m not writing all the time in the way I was when I wrote the album. And so I guess to answer the question, not really.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s been the most rewarding part of this experience? Does it all go back to [opening track] \u201c<\/b>I like to touch people<\/b>\u201d?<\/b>
That\u2019s very astute. Yeah, it\u2019s the most exciting part of all of this. It is more exciting than the flashing lights of the L.A. Times photographer at Swingers Diner and it\u2019s more exciting than someone who I respect following me on Instagram, and it reminds me why I\u2019m doing it all. It\u2019s the coolest thing of all time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Audrey Hobert isn\u2019t clowning herself anymore. She was meant to be a pop star. \u201cI had been sitting…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":418147,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5123],"tags":[195779,1582,276,136154,246,1532,2961,2252,224,5337,975,1013,20133,3546,10656,19514,58031,6620,14164,5558],"class_list":{"0":"post-418146","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles","8":"tag-audrey-hobert","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-california","11":"tag-debut-album","12":"tag-family","13":"tag-friend","14":"tag-la","15":"tag-life","16":"tag-los-angeles","17":"tag-losangeles","18":"tag-music","19":"tag-music-video","20":"tag-next-day","21":"tag-people","22":"tag-release","23":"tag-song","24":"tag-sue","25":"tag-time","26":"tag-way","27":"tag-writing"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115646734796108666","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}