Renon cannot seem to trust herself around people like you.
Wake up, Montreal, there’s a new pop anthem for the summer.
On 3 May, Montreal’s own Emma Grenon, known for her stage name “Renon” released her newest pop single, “White Girl Wasted.”
Renon radiates pop star energy even when she isn’t on stage.
At a casual meetup at Verdun’s Lili & Oli, her style is reminiscent of 2000s Hayley Williams and Avril Lavigne. Chipped black nails, all black attire, with small silver swords as earrings, a signature pink and black eye-makeup frame her big green eyes, the colour combination very Y2K coded.
Having known she wanted to pursue music since she was 5, Renon is a self-described “emo-jazzy popstar.” A graduate of the Vanier College Professional Jazz Voice music program, she begun releasing her own music in 2021, with a debut EP titled my love.
Earlier this year, in 2024, she was featured in a single with Montreal-based artist Erin Marcellina, called “Free.”
Written by Renon, produced by Ryan Nadin and ivytide drummer Matt Nozetz (Avbury Studios), “White Girl Wasted” has been a long time coming, as the singer/songwriter had it in her archives since 2021.
Born from a girl’s lament on TikTok, the song came about during the COVID 19 lockdown.
“When I write, I write the whole song on a piano or something, and I have everything ready from the lyrics to the chord progression, and then I bring it to a producer,” Renon says. “So [in 2021], we were still in [COVID 19] lockdown and stuff, and I saw a TikTok and it was a girl that was like “the things I would do to be white girl wasted with my friends right now” and I kept thinking “White girl wasted is such a good song name.”
So how do you create a single out of a party term?
“So I tried to do it like a “Drunk in Love” type of metaphorical lyrics, and then the term slowly started to manifest itself into my life,” she jokes as she later during that time, moved to London, UK and had a nice “party girl phase.”
But now the song is more reflective of that part of her life, rather than an ode to the party girl phase she once had. It also serves as a preview for the aesthetic she’s trying to set when it comes to her Renon persona.
“I wanted to dig more into the tongue and cheek part of that persona, and just kind of give a sort of just like fun Renon aesthetic first,” she says.
The term “White Girl Wasted” undoubtedly has a fun ring and connotation to it, but it’s not without its negative double edge.
Urban Dictionary defines the term as: “The phenomenon which occurs when a person consumes too much alcohol and proceeds to embarrass themselves and their friends for however long they remain conscious. It is usually characterized by off-beat dancing, the stripping of clothes, groping strangers, the overwhelming smell of fruity alcohol, and a general sloppiness that can only be associated with drinking.”
“It’s actually funny because when I’m sometimes promoting [the song], I have to give a disclaimer that I’m not promoting alcoholism,” Renon chuckles. “Like the song is just for fun and it’s not that serious. It’s also a metaphor if you really listen to the lyrics.”
You got me white girl wasted
All that I wanted was to taste it
But it’s gone way too far
This is serious
You’re dangerous
You’re flavorous
You’re dangerous
The words are less evocative of the literal white girl wasted term and more about the feeling one is under when white girl wasted – equated with the feeling when falling in love or in deep lust with someone.
The music and production have a sexy, attractive feel to it, with the trappy beat working with Renon’s soundwaves, enticing and seductive.
“The song itself is not even electronic y2k vibe as the term white girl wasted does, but it’s still fun!” Renon says.
Pop music has been known to receive quite the extensive criticism from music critics and lovers alike, and it’s something the singer has realized since her days in college.
“Even when I was in jazz school there was a pretentious wave concerning pop music,” Renon says, “but it’s just fun. I love pop for that reason and I think pop artists are very underestimated in the music industry when a lot of them are incredible writers and musicians and amazing vocalists. They’re able to make a sound and write about something that makes everyone feel good or fun, and it’s still important, it’s still art, even if it’s not like deep you know who cares? Not everything has to be deep! And like I still listen to my sad boy playlists, but I love pop stars.”
Renon’s upcoming sound will be an amalgamation of Ariana Grande’s thank u, next” trap-pop sounds, with a jazzy mood and Hayley Williams’ style of vocals. With an eclectic taste in music and a cachet coolness about her, the Montreal pop singer is sure to capture everyone’s attention.
Be sure to stream “White Girl Wasted” and follow Renon for more music on her socials!
Busybee's Playlist 
Leave a comment