The Circus of Honesty - Exploring Audrey Hobert's Lyrics in Who's the Clown?
Written by: Camila Lupa
ARTIST: Audrey Hobert
ALBUM: Who's the Clown? (2025)
GENRE: Pop
RATING: 9/10
It's 12AM on a Monday, and you're laying in bed with your broken wired earbuds, knowing you should go to sleep because you have things to do in the morning. Things such as: leaving the house, putting yourself in awkward situations, and accepting yourself. A tedious to-do list for sure. A few videos into your nightly dooomscroll, an album name asks you a question: "Who's the Clown?" Well, is it you, or is it Audrey Hobert, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter who has been gaining attention from her unique alt-pop inspired songs? Forget the to-do list! You untangle your earbuds and click play to figure out who the clown really is.
I have something to admit. I personally didn't think anything of Audrey Hobert's influence when her debut album was first gaining attention. But now that I've listened to her upbeat songs and honest lyrics, I can say this attention is definitely well-deserved. Her songwriting is humorfully honest, and her straightforward storytelling is incredibly unique. She is a master at illustrating a unique experience with relatable feelings, making you feel like you're with her at the bar, club, or bowling alley. Let's take a dive into just some of the lyrics that made me fall in love with Audrey's one-of-a-kind talent.
Let's start with Wet Hair, where we can appreciate the simplicity in Audrey's songwriting. I remember driving and audibly gasping in my car because of the scene she sang about at the end of the song, which you'll really just have to listen to. Something about the continous pace and tone of Audrey's singing really adds to the shock factors in this song, and she uses such direct storytelling to surprise listeners. I instantly fell in love with the song, just because of how invested I was in her situation. Wet Hair is a great example of how artists use simplicity in music, because all she had to do was provide her honest perspective to create the well-known feeling of awkwardness for us.
We've also got Bowling Alley, which is one of the songs I immediately found relatable while listening to. The song follows a story of being invited to a bowling alley party, and all of the inner conflict that is comes with it. I think the lines "the whole place totally cares if I go or not // so wrong to think everyone loves me" best display this relatable message. To me, they really convey the contrast between wanting to stay at home (which I love doing) and wanting to be included or missed at events. I really admire Audrey's honesty in songwriting, and I couldn't imagine Who's the Clown without it.
One of my personal favorites of the album is Shooting Star. The most interesting part about this song to me is the way it appears that Audrey is talking to either herself or a friend in the chorus with the back and forth of "Girl that's not a shooting star/ I'm sorry my bad, I thought that it was." You would think that this is the point in the song where Audrey comes to a realization and changes her mindset, but the song actually takes a more realistic route and repeats these lines, implying that she keeps thinking the same way about the boy mentioned in the song. She even takes it further to say "I know that you're right, but what if you're not?" Audrey acknowledges the delusion that overtakes her, and realistically continues hoping. This cycle and repetition are so familiar to me and many others, and while it may be unhealthy, at times it feels uncontrollable. Shooting Star validates these feelings, and normalizes the universal desire to be loved.
Wait so who is the clown? Probably Audrey Hobert herself, but also the millions of people who have found themselves in similar humorous situations. Whether it is the long journey of self-acceptance, or convincing my friend that her ex still sucks (if you're reading this, yes, you) I found that Audrey was reading my mind and giving my thoughts a tune. Her direct storytelling and honest songwriting are what make her songs standout among others! The entire album is a great example of how simplicity works beautifully to convey emotions in music, and her talent creates a relatable masterpiece. Honestly, there is not enough I could say about this album. This page would become a novel if I were to unpack the universal feelings of awkwardness, love and confidence that all combine to make the honest pop album that is Who's the Clown?
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