After graduating from New York University in 2021, Hobert went on to work as a writer's production assistant at Warner Bros. and later served as a staff writer for the Nickelodeon sitcom The Really Loud House.[2][3] She has been best friends with American singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams since they were in fifth grade.[4] She ventured into songwriting in 2024, co-writing multiple songs on Abrams's second studio album, The Secret of Us,[5] including "That's So True".[6] Hobert made guest appearances throughout the Secret of Us Tour to perform the song with Abrams.[7][8] In 2025, she co-wrote the songs "Start All Over" with English singer-songwriter Alessi Rose and "Concrete" with her brother, Malcolm Todd.[9]
Promotion
Hobert announced her debut single "Sue Me" on April 22, 2025, which was released on May 9.[10][11] Her second single "Bowling Alley" was released on June 20, 2025.[12][13] The third single titled "Wet Hair" was released on July 23, 2025.[14][15] The album was announced the same day.[16] The tracklist was announced on August 7, 2025.[3]
Following the album's release, "Thirst Trap" became the album's fourth single.[17]
Eduarda Goulart of Clash claimed Hobert put pop music "in good hands"[21], specifically praising her comedic style and her ability to "[make] the listener feel like a close friend" with her storytelling. However, Goulart also criticized the album for being repetitive, expressing that "[Hobert] benefits from sharing her process with someone, and the lack of clear references and perspective could be settled with the addition of one more producer/co-writer."
John Lonsdale of Rolling Stone similarly praised Hobert as "one of pop's great new voices"[22], adding that her previous experience as a screenwriter made the album "cinematic" with songs that "deserve their own coming-of-age miniseries". Lonsdale also favorably compared tracks like "Chateau" and "Phoebe" to the works of Avril Lavigne, the Chicks, and Taylor Swift.
Arielle Gordon of Pitchfork said the songs on Who's the Clown? fittingly sound like an extension of her work on Abrams’ world, which were verbose, conversational, and unfiltered. However, she claimed the album faltered in its second half, stating Hobert uses specificity as a crutch and struggled to transcend the biographical details of her own life.[23]
Hobert released five official music videos as companions to the album's singles, as well as the album track "Sex and the City."[24] The music video for lead single, "Sue Me," was released May 9, 2025.[25] The following video for "Bowling Alley" was released June 20, 2025.[26] The next video for "Wet Hair," described as a homemade "vid" was released July 23, 2025.[27] The fourth music video premiere for "Thirst Trap" coincided with the release of the album on August 15, 2025.[28] "Sex and the City" is the only non-single to receive a music video, which premiered December 3, 2025.[29]
Viral Success
Part of the album's success came from the viral success on TikTok of the lead single, "Sue Me." The official sound published on Sony Records TikTok was used thousands of times by users.[30] Several videos posted by Hobert promoting the song reached millions of views on TikTok.[31]
Live Performances/ Tour
Audrey Hobert Live in LA June 24, 2025
Hobert appeared in several live internet and television performances of tracks from the album as promotion, some of which include for Apple Music,[32] Vevo,[33] and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[34] On September 15, 2025, Hobert announced "The Staircase to Stardom" tour on her Instagram.[35] The tour premeired December 1, 2025 in San Francisco, running until March 19, 2026 in Dublin, Ireland.
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